The New York Giants have made a significant change to their practice squad, releasing OT Tyre Phillips and bringing in OL Jaylon Thomas as his replacement. Phillips’ release comes as a surprise as the 26-year-old was once considered to be a valuable backup for Big Blue. He started five games for New York last season and seemed to have a strong chance of making the final 53-man roster. Instead, Phillips has been cut loose and Thomas has been signed to the practice squad.
Giants add new offensive lineman to practice squad
Jaylon Thomas originally signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of SMU this off-season. Thomas was described as a “smooth and controlled operator” prior to the NFL Draft but ultimately went without hearing his name called on draft day.
Rather than playing tackle like Tyre Phillips, Thomas primarily aligns at the guard position. Thomas appeared in 12 games and played a total of 759 snaps for the SMU Mustangs as a fifth-year senior in 2022. He surrendered seven hurries, no quarterback hits, and no sacks while playing the majority of his snaps at left guard, and the rest at right guard, per NFL Draft Buzz.
The Giants are thin on the interior of the offensive line entering the 2023 regular season. Thomas will join the practice squad, giving New York an additional option which they can call up to the active roster in case of an emergency on the interior this season.
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