Injuries to key players mounting for New York
As if losing start left tackle Andrew Thomas to surgery for a Lisfranc injury wasn’t bad enough, the New York Giants were without two other star players on Wednesday as they began practicing for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (hip) and edge defender Brian Burns (groin), the team’s best defensive players, did not practice.
The other Giant held out of practice on Wednesday was punter Jamie Gillan, who missed last Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a hamstring injury.
“We’ve got some injuries,” said head coach Brian Daboll, terming Lawrence and Burns both “day-to-day.”
“I’m not gonna get into whether I think they’ll practice tomorrow,” Daboll added.
The Giants are now without Thomas on offense and edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux (on IR with a fractured wrist). They could also now be without Lawrence and Burns for a key divisional clash against the 3-2 Eagles and returning former Giants star Saquon Barkley.
At least it sounds like wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has missed two games with a concussion, is making progress. Nabers was expected to practice on Wednesday in a red, non-contact jersey, the next step in clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol.
“He passed some of the steps that he needed to do. He’s better, which is a good thing,” Daboll said. “So we’ll see. We’ll go through today. I’m optimistic, but I’m not going to push anything. That’s a type of injury you want to be smart with. But he is doing much better and it’ll be good to have him out here and practice today.”
Daboll also said that placekicker Graham Gano, on IR with a hamstring injury, will not begin practicing this week. That means Greg Joseph will continue as the team’s placekicker.
