Getty The New York Giants could be without linebacker Micah McFadden in Week 1.
The dog days of summer have produced a rash of nagging injuries and New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll provided updates on each of his ailing players on August 20.
New York Daily News beat reporter Pat Leonard relayed the lengthy list on X:
LB Micah McFadden [groin] out, week to week. LB Matt Adams [groin] out, week to week. G Jon Runyan Jr. [shoulder] out, getting closer. CB Cor’Dale Flott [quad] out, getting closer. RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. [ankle] is back at practice in some form. CB Dru Phillips [ankle] will be limited. QB Drew Lock [oblique] will do something. PR Gunner Olszewski [groin] out, week to week. S Gervarrius Owens [knee] out. TE Lawrence Cager [groin] out, week to week. LB Dyontae Johnson [ankle] still out. OL Evan Neal [ankle] and JMS [John Michael Schmitz] [shoulder] both will do more. CB David Long Jr. likely still out, too. RB [Dante] Turbo Miller [hamstring] is back but limited.
The headliners here are the linebacker position — which has been totally decimated behind veteran Bobby Okereke — Tracy returning and key pieces like Runyan, Schmitz, Phillips and Flott seemingly nearing a full return.
In terms of the former, Week 1 could be tricky to navigate. Earlier in the morning on August 20, ESPN NYG beat reporter Jordan Raanan noted that “starting LB Micah McFadden avoided serious injury after leaving Saturday’s game in Houston on a cart.” Which is good news.
Having said that, Raanan did add that McFadden “could miss some time with a groin injury but has a chance to be ready for Week 1.” If McFadden is unable to go — it’ll be interesting to see if the Giants look to add at the position with backups Adams, Carter Coughlin and Johnson all dealing with injuries of their own.
Giants Roster Battles Could Be Decided by Injuries at Multiple Positions
The Olszewski-Isaiah McKenzie returner competition stood out as one that may have been decided by injury after the second preseason outing. The pair of wide receivers appeared to be in a head-to-head battle for a roster spot and now Olszewski is week-to-week with injury.
It’s a harsh reality, but often a true one in a league like the NFL. Bubble candidates like Olszewski must remain on the field during training camp and the preseason. If they miss time, they could lose their opportunity.
The same can be said about an early summer standout like Cager. The pass-catching tight end was initially pegged as a possible Darren Waller replacement in this offense.
Now he’s a projected cut according to Big Blue View beat writer Ed Valentine.
“During the spring Daboll lauded Cager’s improvement,” Valentine said of the NYG tight end on August 19. “Cager, though, has now suffered hamstring and groin injuries during training camp. Daboll said his current groin injury is going to have him ‘down for a while.’ In this projection, that costs him a roster spot.”
The roster chances of players like Johnson, Long, Owens and Miller could be impacted by their injuries as well.
New NFL Short-Term IR Rule Comes With a Catch
In 2024, teams are allowed to place up to two players on a short-term injured reserve before the roster cutdown. Those players will not impact the 53-man count — but there’s a catch.
Per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, “those two players will count toward the limit of eight players who are allowed to return from IR during the season.”
“I think [the short-term IR rule will] be more likely to be used if a top line player suffered an injury that will sideline him for the first few weeks of the season (or longer),” the beat reporter weighed in. “Not sure teams will want to dedicate a return designation to a fringe player out of the gates. Could still use the old method of keeping the player on the initial 53 and then shifting to IR the next day to keep more options open.”
In the same vein, veteran fringe players are sometimes released at the cutdown with an unspoken agreement that they will re-sign after a day or so — once their injured teammates are transferred to the injured reserve.
It’ll be interesting to see how Giants general manager Joe Schoen maneuvers his way through the 53-man deadline this August.
