EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Five days before opening their season against the team that led the NFL in rushing yardage last season, the Giants today added another stout run-stopper to the middle of their defensive line.

John Jenkins, a 6-3, 327-pounder who was released Saturday by the Chicago Bears, will join his new teammates tomorrow when the Giants hold their first full-scale practice for this Sunday's home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Giants created space on the roster for Jenkins by waiving third-year defensive end Romeo Okwara.

Jenkins entered the NFL out of Georgia as a third-round draft choice (82nd overall selection) by New Orleans in 2013. He has played in 59 games with 23 starts for the Saints (2013-16), Seattle Seahawks (2016) and Bears (2017), recording 121 tackles (67 solo), six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

In 2017, Jenkins played in eight games with one start and finished the season with eight tackles (five solo). He was inactive for the first seven games and the 10th game.

Jenkins joins Damon Harrison, Dalvin Tomlinson, rookie B.J. Hill and another newcomer, Mario Edwards, to give the Giants a rugged interior presence. They'll need it against the Jaguars, who reached the AFC Championship Game last season behind a rushing attacked that led the NFL with 141.4 yards a game. Rookie Leonard Fournette finished eighth in the league with 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns in just 13 games.

Okwara joined the Giants as a rookie free agent from Notre Dame in 2016. He played in 16 games with four starts as a rookie, and in four games last season, when he spent two months on injured reserve with a knee injury. His totals included 24 tackles (10 solo) and 1.0 sack.

*The Giants signed defensive tackle Josh Banks to their practice squad. Banks was waived by the team on Sunday. He spent the entire 2017 season on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.