Michael Clayton is back with the New York Giants. The team announced today that they have signed the veteran wide receiver to take the roster spot of Domenik Hixon, placed on injured reserve after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament Monday night in a victory over the St. Louis Rams.

An eight-year veteran, Clayton was signed by the Giants on Nov. 24, 2010 and played in the final six games of the season. He had two catches for 19 yards, both in the season-finale at Washington on Jan. 2. Clayton played in all four Giants’ games this preseason and caught two passes for 45 yards, including a 37-yarder at Carolina.

Clayton was a first-round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004. He played six years with the Bucs before joining the Giants. Clayton has played in 90 career games with 56 starts. His career totals include 223 receptions for 2,955 yards (a 13.3-yard average) and 10 touchdowns. He also has 18 rushing attempts for 100 yards and 11 kickoff returns for 241 yards (21.9-yard avg.).

Other than coach Tom Coughlin, who loves Clayton's work ethic, the happiest guy in the Giants' locker room to see Clayton is uniform might well be kickoff returner Devin Thomas. Clayton is a terrific lead blocker on kickoff returns, and his work helped Thomas immensely in preseason.