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Giants Injury Report: Daniel Jones ruled out, pair of starting receivers doubtful

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daniel jones, giants

The New York Giants are preparing to take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, but they will be without several starters on both sides of the ball as they look to string together another victory. Coming off a win against Philadelphia in which the defense held the Eagles to just seven points, the offense lagged behind.

Despite having quarterback Daniel Jones on hand, the Giants managed just 13 points, and with Mike Glennon slated to start against Miami, optimism certainly isn’t brewing.

Full injury report for the New York Giants:

OUT:

LB Trent Harris (Ankle)

DB Adoree Jackson (Quad)

TE Kaden Smith (Knee)

QB Daniel Jones (Neck)

The two big names here are Jones and Adoree Jackson, who both play significant roles. Jones was ruled out with a neck injury, not being cleared for contact this week, according to head coach Joe Judge. Without him, Big Blue will lean on Glennon, who is a pure pocket passer, taking out a significant portion of the Giants’ playbook.

Jackson, on the other hand, leaves a void at the No. 2 cornerback spot, and with Darnay Holmes landing on IR and rookie Rodarius Williams suffering a torn ACL earlier in the season, Patrick Graham will have to rely on rookie third-round pick Aaron Robinson to supplement the loss.

DOUBTFUL:

WR Sterling Shepard (Quad)

WR Kadarius Toney (Oblique/Quad)

Both Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney are doubtful for the contest, indicating they are unlikely to play. Without both starters, expect to see more Darius Slayton and Kenny Golladay for the Giants, but with the quarterback position in flux, they will likely have to rely on Saquon Barkley and the running game.

QUESTIONABLE:

FB Cullen Gillaspia (Calf)

WR John Ross (Illness/Quad) T

E Kyle Rudolph (Ankle)

T Nate Solder (Elbow)

Starting right tackle, Nate Solder was added to the injury report on Friday with an elbow issue, and if he fails to play on Sunday, expect to see plenty of Matt Peart. Peart was thrown under the bus a bit this past week by the coaching staff, indicating that Solder is the better player despite plenty of awful reps.

New York Giants Injury Update: Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard trending down

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kadarius toney, giants

The New York Giants have faced significant injuries at the wide receiver and offensive line positions this season. In fact, the Giants have only featured the majority of their playmakers with a handful of snaps, which may point to a bigger problem with the training staff.

The Giants are preparing to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and they are expected to be without several starters on both sides of the ball. Logan Ryan contracted Covid last week, missing Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and will likely be ruled out against Philadelphia over the weekend.

However, the team’s receivers are once again being plagued by the injury bug during the second half of the season.

Four offensive players likely to miss Week 12 for the New York Giants:

Kadarius Toney: Quad

Toney started the season with an ankle injury that hampered him early on, but he proved to be a focal point on offense against the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. Since then, he has made a minimal impact as coordinator Jason Garrett failed to incorporate him into their strategy. Toney picked up a quad injury against the Buccaneers, and if he’s unable to practice on Friday, it is extremely unlikely he’s able to suit up on Sunday.

Sterling Shepard: Quad

Another playmaker who has missed time this season is Sterling Shepard, having played in just five games. Shepard showed solid chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones, picking up 324 yards and a score on 32 receptions. Shep, though, suffered a quad injury against the Kansas City Chiefs and has been unable to practice since. He is almost guaranteed to miss Sunday’s game.

Kaden Smith: Knee

Reserve tight end Kaden Smith has been dealing with a knee injury all season long, and while he has appeared in most games despite the injury, he is still working through it on a weekly basis. I wouldn’t expect Smith to suit up, but his role is insignificant at this point.

Kyle Rudolph: Ankle

The Giants lost free-agent signing Kyle Rudolph against the Buccaneers due to an ankle injury. The expectation is that Rudolph will miss Sunday’s game as well, so the Giants will be without two tight ends and two of their primary receivers.

New York Giants: Projecting the starting pass rush unit for the 2021 season

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New York Giants, Lorenzo Carter, Dak Prescott

The New York Giants allocated resources toward bolstering the pass rush this off-season, as injuries held back the unit in 2020. Despite the team racking up 40 total sacks, which ranked 12th in the NFL, coordinator Patrick Graham relies on a steady pass rush to help aid his secondary.

Last season, Graham transition to a zone-based scheme, despite normally utilizing man coverage as his primary strategy. He is preparing to rotate back toward his roots this upcoming year, which requires solid outside linebackers to get the job done. Adding more depth and starting quality talent was a priority, which is why the Giants went out and signed Ryan Anderson, Ifeadi Odenigbo, and drafted Azeez Ojulari and Elerson Smith.

All four come with different strengths and weaknesses, but they are superior to the options the Giants utilized last season with Carter Coughlin and Jabaal Sheard after Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter went down with season-ending injuries.

Let’s take a look at what the starting unit could look like come the regular season.

Projected starting pass rush unit for the New York Giants:

OLB: Azeez Ojulari

Considering the Giants spent the 50th overall pick on Ojulari, there’s optimism he will emerge as the starter come Week 1. Having posted the most sacks (9.5) and forced fumbles (4.0) in the SEC last year, the Georgia product is a refined pass rusher that could use a bit more experience in the run game. Ojulari has a knack for finding the football and creating turnovers and should fit right into Graham’s scheme as a fast and bendy OLB.

DL: Leonard Williams

Of course, interior defender Leonard Williams will be the featured player in the trenches. Posting a career-high 11.5 sacks and 62 pressures last season, he earned a major payday this off-season as a result of his hard work. If Williams can replicate his production from 2020, the Giants will be in great shape, considering they added more talent to draw attention away from Williams and allow him to capitalize on matchups.

DL: Danny Shelton

The Giants brought over player evaluator and scout Kyle O’Brien from the Detroit Lions, who has roots with the Patriots and extensive experience evaluating players. The Giants brought in a bevy of Detroit free agents, including Reggie Ragland and Danny Shelton.

With the departure of Dalvin Tomlinson, Shelton will replace his role at nose tackle. Shelton is a massive 6’2”, 345-pound interior defender, nicknamed “Feast Mode”. Last year, over 12 games, he posted 37 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and one sack. His primary job is to soak up double teams and allow the more refined pass rushers to work their magic.

DL: Dexter Lawrence

Dexter Lawrence took one of the most extravagant developmental steps last year, despite earning 3% fewer snaps, totaling about 50. Lawrence saw his combined tackles increase from 38 to 53, sacks from 2.5 to 4.0, and missed tackle rate land at 3.6%, a vast improvement compared to his 11.6% during his rookie season.

Lawrence is a massive interior pass rusher who will assist the outside linebackers tremendously, soaking up double teams and opening up mismatches on the outside. At 23 years old, he has a bright future ahead of him, and the Giants will rely on him heavily this upcoming year.

OLB: Lorenzo Carter

Prior to suffering a torn Achilles last season against Dallas, Lorenzo Carter showcased vast improvements against the run and as a pass rusher. Over five games, he posted 1.0 sacks, 15 combined tackles, four QB hits, and a career-low 6.3% missed tackle rate. He has been working diligently this off-season to improve his hands in the trenches and speed to power moves. If he can fully return from his injury, the 6’4”, 250-pound linebacker could find himself starting once again to open the season. He will have considerable completion from Odenigbo and Ximines, though.

New York Giants: Free Agency rumors, updates, news

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New York Giants, Kenny Golladay

With free agency rumors swirling, the New York Giants are caught in purgatory. With minimal cap space and teams quickly scooping up the top players on the market, the Giants have to move quickly, or they are going to lose out on some of their targeted players.

With resources needed to be allocated toward the wide receiver and pass rush positions, free agency offers a plethora of players who could fit the bill. Monday afternoon was a storm, with a ton of players being unofficially signed. The New England Patriots were the most active, landing big players coming off careers years, which could end up biting them in the butt.

Let’s take a look at some of the most prevalent rumors for the New York Giants:

1.) Kenny Golladay still on the Giants’ radar

The Giants would prefer to walk away from free agency with the top receiver on the market, Kenny Golladay. The only big receiver to be signed on Monday was Nelson Agholor, who landed with the Patriots.

His contract is worth $13 million per season, which could easily affect Kenny Golladay’s future deal. Reports have indicated that the Giants are interested in Golladay, having only played five games last year but earned Pro Bowl selection in 2019 with nearly 1200 yards and 11 touchdowns. The likelihood is that the Giants will have to pay upwards of $17 million per year for his services, but he would immediately upgrade the wide receiver corps and offer Daniel Jones a big body target in the passing game.

2.) Pass rusher if not wide receiver?

If the Giants lose out on a receiver of their choice, it’s possible they look to the pass rush market to shore up their defense. With Matt Judon, Carl Lawson, Bud Dupree, Yannick Ngakoue, Shaq Barrett, and Leonard Floyd already off the market, the Giants still have a few solid options to target, including Haason Redick and even Jadeveon Clowney.

Something about Reddick stands out to me, and considering he tallied 12.5 sacks last season, with five of them coming against the Giants, I am under the impression he would be a stellar addition and likely wouldn’t break the bank.

3.) Giants priced out of top-tier pass rushers

The Giants are in a tough spot when it comes to signing premium pass rushers, and their best bet is likely to hold onto Leonard Williams and roll into the season with Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines as their starters. However, they did inquire about Los Angeles Rams OLB Leonard Floyd. Floyd finished the 2020 season with 10.5 sacks but elected to sign with his current team instead of taking his talents to the East Coast.

Ultimately, the Rams overpaid for Floyd, giving him $16 million per season. With that being said, the Giants aren’t willing to overspend on a pass rusher at this time, especially with Williams sitting on the franchise tag waiting to be extended.

The priority should be wide receiver before pass rusher, and if Daniel Jones is watching his team in free agency, he’s likely praying for that reality.

Report: New York Giants ‘interested’ in WR Kenny Golladay

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New York Giants, Kenny Golladay

It is no secret that the New York Giants desperately need to allocate resources toward an offensive playmaker. While the 2021 NFL draft offers an extremely deep receiver class, free agency also has its benefits.

The Giants have been linked to Detroit Lions WR1 Kenny Golladay for quite some time, inquiring about him prior to the trade deadline in 2020. It is no surprise that they are once again keeping tabs on him as free agency starts on March 17. However, legal tampering for players begins on Monday, so the Giants could already be in contact with him at the start of the week, gauging his price tag and health coming off an injury-riddled 2020 season.

On ESPN’s Breaking Big Blue podcast, beat reporter Jordan Raanan states that the Giants are very clearly interested in Kenny Golladay and will likely place a bid on him in free agency.

“There’s some concerns about Kenny Golladay, but this is a player the Giants are interested in,” Raanan said. “This isn’t just me making a grand assumption; this isn’t just me connecting the dots. I am telling you, the Giants are interested in Kenny Golladay. There’s a reason they called the Lions last year around the trade deadline. A deal wasn’t going to happen, but it’s a player that’s interesting to them — that they like.

“Now, there are some concerns. He’s been injured, he’s played one 16-game season in his four years and there’s a reason the Lions didn’t really want to sign him long-term. They obviously did not feel totally comfortable giving him that money.”

What would Kenny Golladay bring to the New York Giants?

Golladay played in just five games last season, totaling 338 yards and two scores. His best season came in 2019 when he earned a Pro Bowl nod for his performance. Playing an entire 16 game season, Golladay posted 1190 yards and 11 touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL when healthy.

This correlates extremely well to Allen Robinson’s time in Jacksonville, having posted just one season with over 1000 yards and double-digit scores, but spent the 2017 season injured and then signed a big contract with the Chicago Bears anyway.

Golladay has two seasons with over 1000 yards under his belt, so you could make the argument he was better than Robinson when he left Jacksonville.

At 27 years old, Kenny likely has another three years left of elite play left in him, maybe more. The Giants have tried to stick with three-year contracts as of late, and I think that would be a perfect amount of time for the big-body receiver unless an alternative team is willing to offer more years and more money.

Nonetheless, he would be a perfect scheme thing with the Giants, offering them a big body to utilize against man-coverage and in the red-zone. When at the top of his game, Golladay is an unstoppable receiver with an extraordinary wingspan. He would offer Daniel Jones a great security blanket and a bonafide WR1.

The New York Giants’ secondary in 2020 could be vastly underrated

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New York Giants, James Bradyberry, Darnay Holmes, Julian Love, Xavier McKinney

The New York Giants could have an underrated secondary:

The New York Giants’ defense ranked 30th in the NFL last year, allowing a putrid 28.19 points per game on average. They allowed 19 rushing touchdowns and 30 passing touchdowns, showing how inconsistent the secondary was.

General manager Dave Gettleman allocated ample resources toward bolstering the secondary in the 2019 NFL draft, which played a significant part in the degradation of the unit and deficiencies across the board. However, one year of experience and more draft capital spent on reinforcing the defense, and we should see a gradual improvement from the unit as a whole.

Players like DeAndre Baker, whose lawyer said the charges are just about dropped and they have won the case to acquit him of any wrongdoing, are expected to take a big step forward in 2020.

Baker finished 2019 playing in all 16 games, tallying 61 combine tackles and a 61.4 completion rate. He did allow six touchdowns, an astronomical number that needs to be decreased moving forward. Nonetheless, he was used mostly in zone coverage, while his strength was man/press coverage in college.

I expect Baker to take a step forward in his development considering new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham utilizes man coverage on 50% or more of defensive snaps, historically.

In addition to Baker, the Giants are also expecting safety Julian love and supplemental draft pick Sam Beal to step up and provide some sort of quality. They also went out and signed James Bradberry, formally of the Carolina Panthers. Bradberry was the second-best corner on the free-agent market and has impeccable health, and coverage skills justify the money they spent on acquiring him. Bradberry posted a 44.2 completion rate and six touchdowns allowed in 2018, but cut down his red zone deficiency significantly in 2019, allowing just one score on 59.8% completion rate.

Bradberry will inevitably replace Janoris Jenkins, who had filled the number one corner role over the past few seasons. Bradberry is on a three-year deal, giving the Giants leverage if they want to move on after year two on a low dead cap hit.

I believe the secondary is one of the more underrated units for Big Blue, acknowledging their increased experience and the resources dumped into its reinforcing. The Giants also drafted Darnay Holmes with their fourth-round pick, who was rated as the top nickel corner in the draft. If he can lock down the starting slot position, the Giants will have two solid corners in Bradberry and Baker manning the outside.

While depth might be a little bit scarce, they also acquired Xavier McKinney to fill the free safety spot in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. McKinney is a sure-fire tackler and created seven turnovers for Alabama last season. His versatility makes him a perfect fit for Graham’s defensive scheme, which focuses on unpredictable blitzing habits and man coverage.