Giants Waive Shane Smith and Place J.T. Thomas on Injured Reserve

J.T. Thomas – © USA TODAY Sports

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GIANTS WAIVE SHANE SMITH AND PLACE J.T. THOMAS ON IR…
The New York Giants have waived fullback Shane Smith and placed linebacker J.T. Thomas on Injured Reserve with a groin injury that he suffered in week 2 against the Detroit Lions.

To fill those roster vacancies, the team signed defensive end Nordly “Cap” Capi off its Practice Squad and re-signed linebacker Deontae Skinner, who was cut by the Giants on September 2nd.

Smith was signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2017 NFL Draft.

Thomas was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. The Bears waived him in August 2013 and he was claimed off of waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Giants signed Thomas in March 2015. In 2015 with the Giants, Thomas played in 12 games with 11 starts, missing four games with an ankle injury. The Giants placed Thomas on Injured Reserve in September 2016 after he suffered ligament damage to his left knee in the regular-season opener.

The 6’3”, 249-pound Capi was originally signed as undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2015 NFL Draft. Capi has spent time with the Jaguars (2015), Baltimore Ravens (2015), Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals (2016-2017). While Capi has not played in an NFL regular-season game, he did stand out with the Cardinals as a linebacker during the 2017 preseason, both rushing the passer (15 pressures and 1.5 sacks) and defending the run.

Skinner was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New England Patriots after the 2014 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Patriots (2014-2015) and Eagles (2015-2016). The Giants added to and released Skinner from the Practice Squad multiple times in 2016. He also was signed to the 53-man roster in October and again in December.

INJURY UPDATE…
Running back Shane Vereen (calf), running back Orleans Darkwa (back), offensive lineman Brett Jones (hip), defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle), and linebacker Jonathan Casillas (ankle/wrist) did not practice on Thursday.

Right tackle Bobby Hart (ankle) and linebacker B.J. Goodson (shin) practiced on a limited basis.

Cornerback Janoris Jenkins (ankle) fully practiced.

THE COORDINATORS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

• Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan (Video)
• Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (Video)
• Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn (Video)

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

• DE Olivier Vernon (Video)
• DT Damon Harrison (Video)
• LB Jonathan Casillas (Video)
• LB Keenan Robinson (Giants Insider Video)

ARTICLES…

• Giants co-owner asks (not tells) team to stand for anthem by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post
• Only way for Odell Beckham Jr. to get out of this mess is to save the Giants’ season by Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com
• If Giants owner can’t get through to Odell Beckham, will anyone? by Steve Serby of The New York Post
• Does D.J. Fluker regret signing with the Giants? ‘I was holding back tears’ | 4 downs by Dan Duggan for NJ.com
• How well-positioned are Giants for future? Why post-2017 reset could be in order by James Kratch for NJ.com

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Ben McAdoo and select position coaches and players will address the media on Friday. There is no media availability on Saturday. The Giants play the Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday afternoon.