Giants put yet another placekicker on injured reserve
The New York Giants will elevate rookie placekicker Jude McAtamney from the practice squad to replace the injured Greg Joseph on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
It’s an ironic twist. In Week 2 against Washington, with placekicker Graham Gano on the injury report due to a groin issue, the Giants chose not to elevate McAtamney to the active roster in the event Gano proved unable to make it through the game.
Gano suffered an unrelated hamstring injury chasing down a kickoff return on the game’s opening play. The Giants, unable to kick extra points and without the luxury of even trying to kick the shortest of field goals with punter Jamie Gillan the only kicker available, lost to the Commanders, 21-18.
Cruelly, Austin Siebert, a new placekicker for the Commanders, went 7 of 7 on field-goal attempts in the game.
McAtamney, an Irishman, is a former Gaelic football player. He kicked at Rutgers in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he made 12 of 18 field goals and 23 of 23 extra points. In 2023, he handled kickoff duties, and missed his only field-goal attempt.
McAtamney, 24, signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent. He is on the practice squad with an International Pathway Program exemption.
Joseph, 8 of 11 on field-goal attempts since replacing Gano, was diagnosed on Friday with an oblique injury. The Giants are placing Joseph on IR, meaning he will miss at least four games.
Perhaps the Giants believe Gano will be ready before those four games are up, but it seems McAtamney will kick until Gano is healthy.
This is the second straight season in which the Giants have placed multiple placekickers on IR. Last season, Gano, Randy Bullock, and Cade York were all placed on IR. This, Gano and now Joseph. Gillan is not on IR, but will be sidelined on Sunday for the fourth straight game with a left hamstring injury.
The Giants are signing edge defender Tomon Fox to the active roster to take the spot vacated by Joseph. Fox had been elevated from the practice squad three times this season, and had to be signed to the 53-man roster to be active on game day.
Tight end Jakob Johnson, on and off the roster a number of times this season, has been re-signed to fill the practice squad vacany created by bumping Fox to the active roster.
