The Giants have placed CB Janoris Jenkins on IR and signed DT Khyri Thornton:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants today lost another defensive player when they placed Pro Bowl cornerback Janoris Jenkins on injured reserve. Jenkins has an ankle injury and is scheduled to undergo surgery today by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte.
To take his place on the roster, the Giants signed defensive tackle Khyri Thornton. He is the fifth defensive player to join the Giants this week.
The 2-9 Giants play the 5-6 Raiders in Oakland on Sunday.
Jenkins started all nine games in which he played this season. He missed the Sept. 18 game vs. Detroit with an ankle injury and the Nov. 5 games vs. the Los Angeles Rams because he was suspended by the team. Jenkins has a team-high three interceptions, including a 43-yarder at Denver and 53-yarder last week in Washington. Jenkins also had 31 tackles (27 solo), a team-high nine passes defensed, and forced a fumble.
The touchdowns increased Jenkins' career total to nine - seven interception returns, one fumble return and one blocked punt return. That places him third among active defensive players, behind Washington's DeAngelo Hall and Denver's Aqib Talib, who have 10 apiece.
The Giants currently have 19 players on injured reserve (they waived linebacker J.T. Thomas with an injury settlement this week). They have placed five players on injured reserve this week, including two cornerbacks (Donte Deayon was the other).
Thornton, 6-3 and 315 pounds, played in 23 games with six starts for the Detroit Lions from 2015-17. He had 28 career tackles (20 solo), one sack, and one forced fumble.
This season, Thornton missed the first six games while serving a suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. He played in four games for Detroit this season (from Oct. 29-Nov. 19) and had four tackles (three solo). Thornton was released on Nov. 21.
Thornton was the Lions' third-round draft choice in 2014, from Southern Mississippi.
The other defensive players signed by the Giants this week are linebackers Jeremy Cash and Ray-Ray Armstrong, and defensive backs Brandon Dixon and Darryl Morris.
*The Giants have changed the status of defensive end Romeo Okwara from reserve/injured to reserve injured; designated for return. Okwara was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 17 with a knee injury he suffered in practice the previous week.
