EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Embattled Tennessee Titans 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Wilson has been signed to the New York Giants‘ practice squad, the team announced Thursday.
Wilson, 22, was considered a top right tackle prospect in the 2020 NFL draft, when he was selected 29th overall out of Georgia, but he played only four snaps as a rookie, twice going on the reserve/COVID-19 list and being suspended for a game before his season ended when he was placed on the non-football injury list in December. The guarantees on his rookie contract voided because of his suspension.
The New York native also had some run-ins with the law. The first came in August 2020, when Tennessee State police broke up an off-campus party Wilson had attended during training camp. According to the police report, Wilson went to a second-floor balcony, where he apparently considered jumping before deciding not to. He received a trespass warning.
The second incident occurred in September 2020, when Wilson was arrested and charged with DUI after he lost control of his vehicle and struck a concrete wall.
Things didn’t go much better once the Titans traded Wilson to the Miami Dolphins in March. Wilson was hours late for his physical and team onboarding process, skipped multiple optional workouts that he agreed to attend and declined support services offered to him, all in his first official week with the team, sources told ESPN at the time.
The Giants are well aware of the story — coach Joe Judge and Dolphins coach Brian Flores are close from their time together on the New England Patriots staff — but still thought he was worth the flier given their injury issues on the offensive line and setup. Wilson worked out for the Giants on Tuesday and returned to the facility for more meetings Wednesday morning.
“I tell [the front office] all the time, I’ve got no problem with personalities. A lot of people don’t like my personality. I have no problem with personalities,” Judge said. “I can deal with pretty much anything. I’ve got an eclectic group of friends from all different walks of life.
“I can pretty much deal with anybody as long as they’re themselves and they’re honest and, in this setting, that they love football. So, if you meet those three things — if you’re an honest person, you’re going to be yourself on a daily basis, and you love football — yeah, I’ll be able to deal with you, no problem.”
Wilson’s signing reunites him with his former college teammate, Giants starting left tackle Andrew Thomas.
“Great kid,” Thomas told reporters Wednesday, according to SNY. “Definitely talented. I’m excited to see what he does. Glad they’re giving him a chance. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s done. He had some time off away from football to get his stuff together, so I’m excited to be able to work with him and trying to help bring him along.”
Information from ESPN’s Turron Davenport was used in this report.