Will Giants Have Room on the Roster for a Special Teams Force Who Can Also Give Them Defensive Snaps?

This offseason, the New York Giants put a heavy emphasis on adding versatile players, particularly on defense, to their roster. And if those players can give them quality snaps on special teams, even better.

Just like inside linebacker Cam Jones. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Indiana by the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2023 draft, Jones, who can play with his hand in the dirt or standing up, has mostly made his NFL living primarily as a special teams contributor, though he can give a team quality snaps on defense.

Jones, who was initially recruited as a receiver before starting his time at Indiana, began his career with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent and made Kansas City’s roster. He appeared in all 17 games as a rookie, helping the team win a Super Bowl.

The following season, he again made the roster and appeared in all 17 games. Alas for him, his time with the Chiefs ended when, in 2025, he didn’t make the 53-man roster.

Jones, who has appeared in a total of 44 regular-season games with just two starts, has recorded 24 defensive tackles and 17 tackles on special teams, giving the Giants that versatility that transcends beyond just the defense.

CAM JONES, LB

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 227 lbs.
Exp.: 5 Years
School: Indiana
How Acquired: FA-’26

2025 in Review

Jones was picked up off waivers by the Jets, appearing in four games (five snaps total) as a middle linebacker. He did not register any defensive stats.

Special teams were a different story. Jones played 167 snaps across all of the Jets’ special teams units and recorded five tackles (one solo) according to official league stats.

Jones’s season was interrupted when he landed on injured reserve in Week 6 with a hip injury. He would then spend the bulk of the season on IR before being activated for the Jets’ Week 15 game against Jacksonville.

Contract/Cap Info

The 27-year-old Jones signed a veteran minimum salary benefit deal this past offseason with the Giants on March 25. Per Spotrac, his deal is worth $1.3 million and includes a $75,000 signing bonus and $225,000 guaranteed money (his signing bonus and $150,000 of his $1.145 million base salary).

Jones has $400,000 in “not likely to be earned incentives,” which, if he hits, will count toward 2027’s cap. Jones also gets a $55,000 Week 1 bonus if he is on the roster.

In short, Jones’s estimated guaranteed money is about what a veteran with at least three years of accrued experience would stand to earn if he spends the duration of the upcoming year on the practice squad.

2026 Preview

Jones’s best traits include his quickness and his size, but he’s unfortunately looking at a stacked linebacker room where, if everyone is healthy, Jones would be among the odd men out.

If he were to make the team, odds are high that he’d be a candidate for a core special teams role, which again is his bread and butter at this level.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, as, again, the Giants have quietly put a heavier emphasis on fixing their special teams units, which struggled last year, particularly when it came to punt coverage, where the Giants ranked 31st in the league in terms of average starting field position after a punt return (-27.8 yard line).

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