Although fullback Jakob Johnson remained committed to the grind back in Florida, he was losing hope that his phone would ring nearly three weeks into training camp. He began mentally preparing himself for the potential reality that he wouldn’t step onto a field in 2024.
“I thought that ship sailed just because we are so deep into [season] preparation,” Johnson told the New York Post. “But you never know. That’s how this league goes.”
Johnson’s phone did finally ring this past Friday. It was the New York Giants, who needed him to hop on a flight to East Rutherford, sign a contract, and then hop back onto a plane headed to Houston.
After putting pen to paper, Johnson rushed to join his teammates and was handed a playbook minutes before boarding. He was slated to suit up and play, sans a single practice, the very next day.
“I got a lot of practice cramming for exams in college, so I feel I used some of that to make this work,” he said.
In what felt like a blink of an eye, Johnson was in a Giants uniform and taking on the Houston Texans. He was given eight snaps and although he did drop a pass, Johnson also delivered a jarring block to spring an Eric Gray 13-yard run in the third quarter, the team’s longest of the day.
“You don’t need a playbook for that. You buckle up your chinstrap and hit somebody,” Johnson said. “It’s a blessing because you spend so much time preparing for a moment that might come, might not come.
“Of course, I would’ve expected it to come with a little bit of practice in between, but when you get your opportunity, you have to make the most of it. You just put it on tape, and coaches make the decision off that.”
Johnson impressed in his limited role and appears to be exactly what the Giants need. They seem poised to go old school with the use of a fullback and similar to guard Justin Pugh last season, Johnson is likely to go from the couch to the 53-man roster.
