New York Giants make numerous roster moves in wake of tough injuries
Dec 18, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back Shane Vereen (34) warms up prior to the game against Detroit Lions at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants have put Shane Vereen and Ryan Nassib on IR while promoting two practices squad players.

The season will end early for two New York Giants players that have found 2016 to be full of tough breaks.

Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib (elbow) and running back Shane Vereen (triceps) will both be heading to the team’s injured reserve list.

For Vereen, this will be his second stint on IR this season. He first tore his triceps back in Week 3 against the Washington Redskins, forcing him to miss the next nine games.

The 27-year-old back returned for the Giants 10-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys but had to leave early with a concussion.

Vereen made it back to play in the following week’s matchup with the Detroit Lions, though there he, unfortunately, re-aggravated the triceps injury that originally landed him on IR.

Meanwhile, prior to injuring his elbow, Nassib struggled mightily in the preseason after many had expected to see the fourth-year signal caller take a big step forward. Nassib completed just 41.3% of his passes for 379 yards while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions.

The former fourth-round selection also fumbled five times, losing two of them.

Nassib did not appear in any of the Giant’s regular season games in 2016. His backup spot will now go to journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson, who joined the team back in early September.

Johnson boasts 96 career completions (54.2 competition percentage) for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns to ten interceptions with the Buccaneers, Browns and Bengals.

The 160th pick from the 2008 NFL Draft has also rushed the football 44 times for 247 yards on 6.2 yards per carry. The seven-year veteran hasn’t made a regular season start or thrown a regular season pass since 2011.

Coming up from the Giants’ practice squad to fill the voids left by Vereen and Nassib will be linebacker/defensive lineman Ishaq Willams and running back George Winn.

Williams, an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, made a strong case for a roster spot this preseason collecting 10 total tackles. He was one of the team’s final cuts, but the Giants have been able to stash him on their practice squad all season.

At 6’4″ and 253 pounds, Williams has a long and athletic frame that should make him an excellent special teams player.

After going out undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2013, Winn bounced around on a few NFL squads during his first year in the league.

He signed contracts with the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys before finally catching on with the Detroit Lions. With the Detroit Lions, Winn played in 19 games over two seasons.

Winn received 23 carries for 74 yards on 3.2 yards per carry average over that span. Winn will now be the fourth back on the Giants depth chart, behind Rashad Jennings, Paul Perkins and Bobby Rainey.