New York Giants Sign Richie James; J.R. Reed Signs with Broncos

Richie James – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS SIGN RICHIE JAMES…
The New York Giants have signed unrestricted free agent wide receiver Richie James (San Francisco 49ers) to a 1-year contract.

The 26-year old, 5’9”, 185-pound James was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the 49ers. In his first three years in San Francisco, James played in 40 regular-season games with 10 starts, catching 38 passes for 689 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned 47 kickoffs for 1,081 yards (23 yards per return) and one touchdown and 51 punts for 373 yards (7.3 yards per return). James missed all of the 2021 season with a knee injury.

For an overview of all Giants’ free agent signings, see the 2022 New York Giants Free Agent Signings and New York Giants 2022 Free Agency Scorecard sections of the website.

J.R. REED SIGNS WITH BRONCOS…
New York Giants safety J.R. Reed has signed a 1-year contract with the Denver Broncos. Reed was eligible to be tendered as an exclusive rights free agent by the Giants, but the team chose not to, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Giants signed Reed off of the Practice Squad of the Los Angeles Rams in late October 2021. He played in eight games with New York with no starts (10 percent of defensive snaps in those games) and was credited with 13 tackles. He saw extensive time in two mid-season games, playing poorly in one and better in the next.

The 6’1”, 194-pound Reed was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2020 NFL Draft. The Jaguars waived him in September 2020. Reed was then signed by the Rams, where he spent time on both their Practice Squad and 53-man roster. He has played in a total of 16 games, with no starts.