Neville Hewitt Signs with Giants’ Practice Squad; Week 3 Debut Possible
Veteran linebacker joins New York’s depth chart as multiple starters are listed questionable ahead of Sunday’s game
The New York Giants signed veteran linebacker Neville Hewitt to their practice squad on Monday, a move that could result in a quick game-day activation given the team’s current injuries at the position.
Hewitt, a 10-year NFL veteran who had been out of the league since last season ended, brings starting experience to a thin Giants linebacker corps. Micah McFadden is out for most of the season with a foot injury, and Darius Muasau (concussion), Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf) and Chris Board (chest) were all listed as uncertain to play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs following their absences in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Giants have recently used practice-squad elevations and in-season additions to plug linebacker vacancies. In Week 2, practice-squad elevation Swayze Bozeman made his Giants debut and finished the game next to Bobby Okereke with the first-team defense, illustrating the club’s willingness to promote outside additions into immediate roles.
Hewitt started 32 of 48 games for the New York Jets from 2018-2020, a stretch that included a 134-tackle season, and spent the last four seasons with the Houston Texans primarily as a reserve. The signing gives New York a veteran option who has experience both as a starter and as a rotational player.
If Hewitt is activated from the practice squad, he could make his Giants debut as soon as Week 3. The team’s medical list and game-day decisions will determine whether the club elevates him for the matchup in Kansas City; coach and roster staff had not finalized the Week 3 roster at the time of the signing.
The addition continues a pattern for the Giants this season of turning to veteran depth and recently signed free agents to respond to injuries on defense. Hewitt’s prior starting experience and special-teams background could make him a candidate for immediate snaps if multiple linebackers remain unavailable.
The Giants face the Chiefs on Sunday, and evaluators will monitor practice reports later in the week to see whether Muasau, Flannigan-Fowles or Board clear to play. Until then, Hewitt’s arrival adds another option for a team that has already begun rolling out recent additions into defensive roles.