Janoris Jenkins Reinstated, Kevin Sheppard Re-Signed

Janoris Jenkins – © USA TODAY Sports

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JANORIS JENKINS REINSTATED, DEONTAE SKINNER RE-SIGNED…
The New York Giants announced on Tuesday that cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been reinstated to the 53-man roster from the Reserve/Suspended List. Jenkins was suspended last week for violating team rules. The Giants also re-signed linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Deontae Skinner, the latter off of the Practice Squad of the Oakland Raiders.

To make room for these three players, the Giants waived defensive end Jordan Williams and cornerback Tim Scott. The team also placed linebacker Nigel Harris (ribs) on Injured Reserve.

Sheppard started 11-of-16 regular-season games at middle linebacker for the Giants in 2016, playing 39 percent of defensive snaps. Sheppard finished the year with 50 tackles and two pass defenses. The Giants chose not to re-sign him free agency during the offseason. Sheppard was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in April 2013 and signed with the Dolphins in September 2014 and Giants in April 2016. Sheppard is more of a two-down linebacker who plays the run better than the pass. While he has good size, Sheppard lacks ideal overall athletic ability. Sheppard does not make many big plays.

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). He also spent time on both the Giants’ Practice Squad and 53-man roster in 2016. The Giants waived Skinner before the season started, re-signed him in late September, and waived him again in early October.

The 6’2”, 230-pound Harris was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the San Diego Chargers after the 2017 NFL Draft. The Giants claimed Harris off of waivers from the Chargers in October 2017. Skinner has played in seven regular-season games this year, with one start with the Chargers.

Williams began the 2017 season on the Giants Practice Squad and was added to the 53-man roster last week. Williams was originally signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2015 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Jets (2015) and Miami Dolphins (2015-2016). The Giants signed Williams to the Practice Squad in December 2016.

Tim Scott is started the season on the Giants Practice Squad and was signed to the 53-man roster last week. The 5’11”, 195-pound Scott was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent time with the Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Redskins in 2015, but he did not play in a game and was out of the NFL in 2016. The Giants signed Scott in August 2017.

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:

• QB Eli Manning (Video)
• QB Davis Webb (Video)

ARTICLES…

• Giants-49ers is an important game … for next year’s draft by Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com
• Eli Manning remains Giants’ QB, but Ben McAdoo not concerned about streak by Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com
• The dilemma facing Eli Manning when Giants do the inevitable by Steve Serby of The New York Post
• The sexy Giants options to replace McAdoo and Reese by Paul Schwartz of The New York Post

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The New York Giants return to practice on Wednesday in preparation for Sunday’s away game against the San Francisco 49ers.