The New York Giants placed kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve because of an ailing hamstring and signed kicker Greg Joseph off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad on Tuesday.
The Giants (0-2) also claimed linebacker Patrick Johnson off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gano, 37, landed on the injury report Saturday with a groin problem and then injured his hamstring on Sunday’s opening kickoff of New York’s 21-18 loss to the host Washington Commanders
The Giants didn’t have another kicker on their active roster on Sunday. And the result was disastrous for the Giants, who missed an extra point by punter Jamie Gillan, failed on a 2-point try later in the game and eschewed a short field-goal attempt late in the fourth quarter.
As a result, the Giants became the second team in NFL history to lose a game while scoring three touchdowns and allowing none. The Los Angeles Rams were the first in 1989.
Gano joined the Giants in 2020 after stints with Washington (2009-11) and the Carolina Panthers (2012-18). He was a Pro Bowl selection after the 2017 season with the Panthers and did not play in 2019 due to injury.
Gano connected on two field goals in the Giants’ season-opening loss to Minnesota.
The Giants tried out four veteran kickers at the team facility on Monday: Tanner Brown, Randy Bullock, Zane Gonzalez and Riley Patterson.
Instead, they signed Joseph, who was in the Green Bay Packers’ training camp and was released before signing with last week with the Lions.
Joseph, 30, kicked the past three seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, making 24 of 30 field goal attempts in 2023, with a long of 54 yards, and 36 of 38 extra-point attempts. He had touchbacks on 61 of 79 kickoffs.
His career-long field goal of 61 yards set the Vikings’ franchise record and clinched the game as time expired in a 27-24 victory over the Giants on Dec. 24, 2022.
Johnson, 26, played in one game for the Eagles this season against the Packers before his release. He played in 48 games (two starts) for Philadelphia from 2021-23, making 35 tackles with one tackle for loss, three quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
