Giants' Practice Squad Defensive Lineman Poached By Packers

New York Giants defensive lineman Jordon Riley, a seventh-round draft pick in 2023 who was on the team’s practice squad, has been signed by to the 53-man roster by the Green Bay Packers. 

Riley, 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, was the 243rd overall pick in the 2023 draft. He appeared in 21 games for the Giants over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, starting five of them, all last season. In his limited sample size, Riley logged 20 tackles (11 solos), four tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit.  

This year, Riley sat on the Giants' practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster coming out of training camp. 

Riley played his college ball at North Carolina for his first season, then moved on to Nebraska for two seasons and then to Oregon for his final year, which came in 2022.

Overall, he appeared in 35 games across the three schools and recorded 35 tackles (15 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, and half a sack. 

His best season came in 2022 for the Ducks, when he posted career highs in tackles (21) and sacks (1.5) across 13 games. He also recorded his lone pass breakup that season.

Riley’s path to the Giants’ 53-man roster this year was an uphill battle given all the additions made to the defensive line, including veterans Roy Robertson-Harris and Chauncey Golston, and draft pick Darius Alexander, all of whom made the roster ahead of Riley. They joined holdovers Dexter Lawrence II and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.

In other practice squad news, the Giants are expected to re-sign outside linebacker Tomon Fox, who has bounced back and forth between the 53-man roster and the practice squad, back to the practice squad after waiving him on Tuesday.