Giants signing WR James Washington to the practice squad, per report

The New York Giants are signing wide receiver James Washington to their practice squad, according to a report from Art Stapleton of USA Today.

Washington, 26, was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Oklahoma State in the second round (60th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound receiver put up impressive numbers with Mason Rudolph in Oklahoma State’s wide-open offense, racking up 226 receptions for 4,472 yards (19.8 per catch) and 39 touchdowns over the course of his four-year career.

The Steelers have excelled in finding productive receivers outside of the first round of the draft, and it was expected that Washington would be the next in that line. However, he never lived up to his billing as a productive big-play threat. He only started 25 of 62 games for the Steelers, catching 114 passes on 218 targets (52.3 percent) for 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns over four years.

Washington was clearly not happy in Pittsburgh by the end of his tenure there and requested a trade in 2021 (which wasn’t granted). He left via free agency after that season was over.

Washington was signed to a one-year contract by the Dallas Cowboys after parting ways with the Steelers in 2022. He was released by the Cowboys on Jan. 4 of this year.