Giants may add former first-rounder Isaiah Wilson to flimsy offensive line
Isaiah Wilson #79 of the Tennessee Titans participates in warmups prior to a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on November 12, 2020 in Nashville. Credit: Getty Images/Wesley Hitt
If the Giants need one more vouch on troubled former first-round offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson before signing him, former Georgia teammate Andrew Thomas is happy to oblige.
"Great kid," Thomas, the Giants’ starting left tackle, said of Wilson on Wednesday. "Definitely talented. I’m excited to see what he does, glad they’re giving him a chance, and looking forward to working with him."
Wilson’s NFL career has been an epic disappointment since he was selected 29th overall by the Titans just 17 months ago. He played in just one game in 2020, spending most of his rookie year on either reserve/COVID-19, reserve/non-football injury, or serving a suspension for violating team rules. The Titans were so done with him they traded him to the Dolphins in March, but he was waived by Miami just three days later after failing to show up for workouts and his team physical. He was reportedly arrested for DUI last September and this past January was reportedly charged with a felony for leading police on a 140-mph chase.
Wilson this week posted an apology for his past year of transgressions on Instagram, acknowledging his place in many minds as "the biggest bust in NFL history," and asking for a second chance in the NFL.
"With the time I’ve had away from the game I learned so much about who I am as a human," he wrote.
Wilson, 22, worked out for the Giants on Tuesday and met with the organization on Wednesday. If he does sign it is expected to be to the team’s practice squad, where there is an empty slot, essentially giving the Giants a chance at a test drive before committing to an actual contract.
So why would the Giants want someone with that kind of track record? Because their depth on the offensive line is so flimsy right now — Ben Bredeson is dealing with a hand injury that will likely lead to a fourth different starter at left guard in the first four games — that they can’t afford to be too selective in bringing any talent onto the team.
Besides Thomas, Wilson knows others in the Giants organization. The coach who recruited him to attend Georgia out of Poly Prep in Brooklyn is current Giants offensive line coach Robert Sale.
"I have a lot of trust in the support we have here and I have a lot of trust in the program we have here to put people in a position to be successful," Joe Judge said. "I think there is a point in time that everybody needs a fresh start … If you’re an honest person, you’re going to be yourself on a daily basis, and you love football, yeah, I’ll be able to deal with you, no problem."
If Wilson is all of those things — and a good football player — the Giants will have quite a find. If he is not, all they’ll have wasted is a few thousand dollars of practice squad salary to find out.
Notes & quotes: WR John Ross (hamstring) participated in light workouts after being designated to return from injured reserve. The Giants have three weeks to add Ross to the active roster or he reverts to season-ending IR. Given the injuries to Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton — both hamstrings and both severe enough to be held out of walk-throughs — Ross could make his Giants debut on Sunday … Practice participation was projected on Wednesday but the Giants listed a number of players as limited: RB Saquon Barkley (knee), FB Cullen Gillaspia (ankle), TE Kaden Smith (knee), S Logan Ryan (hamstring), CB Keion Crossen (elbow), S Nate Ebner (quad), and LS Casey Kreiter (knee).
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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