Giants Roster and Cap Check: Trace Ford Signed to 53, Jihad Ward and Najee Harris Released
Ford outsnapped Ward on defense against New Orleans in the last of his three practice squad elevations. Tuesday's moves leave the active roster at 52, with three outside linebackers.
Update, Oct. 20, 5:41 p.m. EDT: The Giants announced the releases of Jihad Ward and Najee Harris, Trace Ford's signing to the 53-man roster and Jason Brownlee's addition to the practice squad at 4 p.m. Tuesday. This story has been updated with the moves.
The Giants released outside linebacker Jihad Ward and running back Najee Harris on Tuesday and signed outside linebacker Trace Ford from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. They also added wide receiver Jason Brownlee to the practice squad. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported Ward's release shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday. About an hour later, Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com reported that the team released Harris.
| Roster | Oct. 13 | Oct. 20, before moves | Oct. 20, after moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active roster | 52 | 53 | 52 |
| Practice squad | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Injured reserve | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Ford and the edge
The team's transaction wire lists Ford's elevations on Oct. 3, Oct. 10 and Oct. 17. League rules allow a club to elevate a practice squad player to the game-day roster three times in a regular season. That left a 53-man contract as the only way Ford could play again this regular season.
His role has grown each week. Ford played three defensive snaps against Arizona, 16 at Washington and 30 against New Orleans, along with 31 on special teams Sunday, according to snap counts compiled by nflverse. Ward played 23 defensive snaps at Washington and 18 against the Saints.
The giants.com roster lists three outside linebackers on the 53: Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Ford. Thibodeaux played 61 defensive snaps Sunday and Carter 47. Brian Burns has been on injured reserve since Sept. 29, and defensive lineman Chauncey Golston since Oct. 10.
Dawuane Smoot, who signed Oct. 13, is the only outside linebacker on the practice squad. The wire shows no elevation for Smoot. The 53-man roster has one open spot.
The backfield
The Giants signed Harris on Aug. 18. He played between eight and 16 offensive snaps in each of the last five games, 61 in all. Against New Orleans, Devin Singletary played 31 offensive snaps, Tyrone Tracy Jr. 29, Harris 11 and Cam Skattebo six.
Asked Monday about Harris' frustration with the four-way rotation, coach John Harbaugh said he respected it but that "our run game hasn't earned that yet, and none of those guys have." Without Harris, the 53 has three running backs: Singletary, Tracy and Skattebo. Phil Mafah is the only running back on the practice squad.
Injuries
The team's wire shows no injured reserve move this week. Harbaugh said Monday that left tackle Andrew Thomas, offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor and wide receiver Darnell Mooney are "kind of day-to-day guys" and that the team will know more Wednesday.
Cornerback Paulson Adebo has been on injured reserve since Sept. 18. The Giants have played five games since then, one more than the league's four-game minimum, but the wire shows no return designation for him. The only return designation on this season's wire is cornerback Korie Black's, from Aug. 30.
Other moves since Oct. 13
Ford was the only player elevated Saturday; wide receiver Dalen Cambre, elevated with him Oct. 10, was not. Cambre has used one of his three.
The wire's other moves since our last check came Oct. 13 and 14: linebacker Malik Harrison signed to the 53, Smoot and offensive lineman Josh Gesky joined the practice squad, and the team released defensive lineman C.J. Ravenell from it.
The cap
| Site | Oct. 13 | Oct. 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Spotrac | $9,880,552 | $8,996,499 |
| Over the Cap | $9,860,848 | $8,079,279 |
| Difference | $19,704 (Spotrac higher) | $917,220 (Spotrac higher) |
Over the Cap and Spotrac had not processed Tuesday's moves as of 5:30 p.m. EDT. Both still list Ward and Harris on the active roster and Ford on the practice squad. Both carry Ward at $895,833 and Harris at $1,075,000 for 2026.
Since Oct. 13, Over the Cap's figure has fallen $1,781,569 and Spotrac's $884,053. Most of the $917,220 gap comes from the cap totals the two sites start with. Spotrac shows the $301,200,000 league cap plus a $1,347,529 rollover from 2025, minus a $1,731,353 adjustment, for $300,816,176. Over the Cap's liabilities and cap space add up to $300,195,334, which is $620,842 less. The other $296,378 is in player charges: Over the Cap lists $292,116,055 in total liabilities and Spotrac $291,819,677 in total cap allocations.
Over the Cap's practice squad list still includes offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, released Oct. 2, and omits defensive lineman P.J. Mustipher.
The Giants (3-2-1) play at Houston on Sunday, then have their bye.