Giants place OL Austin Schlottmann on IR, elevate FB Jakob Johnson

The New York Giants were plagued with injuries along the offensive line in 2023 and things have not gotten off to an encouraging start here in 2024.

On Thursday, just ahead of their final practice of the week, head coach Brian Daboll revealed that offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann, the team’s backup center, has been placed on injured reserve (IR) after sustaining a leg injury on Wednesday.

Daboll did not reveal the exact nature of Schlottmann’s injury but suggested it may be long-term and that the veteran is likely out for more than four weeks.

With an open spot on the 53-man roster, the Giants elevated fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson.

Johnson was signed late in training camp and waived as a part of final cuts before being signed to the practice squad. It was expected that he’d be a weekly elevation until a spot on the main roster became available.

That happened sooner than the Giants would have liked.

Filling Johnson’s spot on the practice squad will be 27-year-old cornerback Duke Shelley.

A sixth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2019 NFL draft, Shelley has been somewhat of a journeyman, also making stops with the Minnesota Vikings (two stints), Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Rams.

In 52 games (11 starts), Shelley has recorded 92 tackles (69 solo), one fumble recovery, 14 passes defensed, and one interception.

In 2022, Shelley earned a career-high Pro Football Focus grade of 81.5.