Giants Release Jihad Ward After Two Games and 41 Defensive Snaps

Oct 20

4 min read

Updated: 10 minutes ago

Published Oct 20, 2026, 10:13 AM ET | By Vincent Rapisardi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjSxDw-vUiA

Jihad Ward's return to the Giants is over after less than three weeks. New York is releasing the veteran outside linebacker, SNY's Connor Hughes reported Tuesday morning, after Ward made one tackle in two games, and the move opens a spot on the 53-man roster as the Giants prepare for Sunday's game at Houston.

Ward "played in two games for the Giants and 41 total defensive snaps" and recorded one tackle, according to the report shared by Big Blue Film Room on X.

Citing a source, Hughes wrote on X that the Giants are cutting Ward, whom they signed off the Vikings' practice squad "earlier this month." NFL Network's Mike Garafolo also reported the release.

The Giants signed Ward off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad on Oct. 1, days after Brian Burns was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL suffered in Week 3, according to Giants.com. Ward was inactive for his first game back, against Arizona on Oct. 4.

Why the Giants Brought Jihad Ward Back

The reunion made sense on paper. Ward spent 2022 and 2023 with the Giants, playing in 34 games with 20 starts and recording eight sacks. He also played 21 games for John Harbaugh in Baltimore, and he set a career high with 22 quarterback hits for the Titans in 2025 under Dennard Wilson, now the Giants' defensive coordinator, per Giants.com.

Wilson vouched for him at the time. "Haddy is a guy that played extremely well for me," Wilson said, according to SNY, praising Ward's versatility to play on the edge, in the middle of the defense or as an interior rusher. That flexibility mattered for a front that had just lost Burns.

Jihad Ward Never Found His 2025 Form in New York

The second stint never produced. One tackle on 41 snaps is a thin return for a veteran signed to steady a depleted front, and The Record's Art Stapleton reported that Ward had "a couple rough games in a row."

Stapleton added that the Giants had hoped to recapture Ward's 2025 performance under Wilson and use him to fill the 5-technique spot left by Chauncey Golston, who went on injured reserve with a neck injury on Oct. 10.

A 5-technique lines up over the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle, where size and strength against the run matter as much as pass rush.

The caveat is the sample. Two games is a small window, and Ward, 32, had little time to settle in after joining midseason.

What Jihad Ward's Release Means for the Giants Roster

Ward entered the NFL in 2016, so there is no waiting period. Under NFL rules, a player with four or more credited seasons who is released before the trade deadline is not subject to waivers, leaving him free to sign with any team right away.

The Giants have not announced how they will use the open roster spot.

One player to watch is outside linebacker Trace Ford, who has been elevated from the practice squad three times this season, the maximum before a team must sign a player to the 53-man roster to keep using him on game days, as we covered in Trace Ford Giants Update: Elevated to Active Roster Again.

Trace Ford will be elevated again to the active roster for fhe Giants this week, per Jordan Raanan. He saw some game action last week vs the Commanders. … — Big Blue Film Room (@BigBlueFilmRoom) on X, October 17, 2026

Neither report connected the release to Ford or any other move. The Giants visit the Texans at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, their final game before the bye.

Our Take: The Jihad Ward Reunion Was Worth Trying

Signing Jihad Ward was a logical bet after Brian Burns tore his ACL. He knew Dennard Wilson's system and set a career high with 22 quarterback hits for Wilson in Tennessee in 2025.

One tackle on 41 snaps in two games isn't enough to keep a roster spot. The Giants moved on quickly, which is the right instinct with a short-term signing.

The bigger story is where the snaps go. Trace Ford takes the roster spot, and Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter have combined for two sacks this season.

If the edge rush doesn't produce more, I'd expect the Giants to look outside the building again before the Nov. 10 deadline.

Ward's history with Wilson made the signing sensible. The quick release shows the staff won't let familiarity outweigh production.

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