Giants in Trouble: Injuries Befall an Already Strapped Secondary

New York Giants, Xavier McKinney, Jabrill Peppers
Anthony Rivardo (edit)

The last thing the New York Giants needed was to incur long term injuries on their transient defense this summer. But that’s exactly what transpired on Wednesday. As the team conducted a walkthrough at MetLife Stadium, it was learned that two potential starters – rookie safety Xavier McDaniel and veteran linebacker David Mayo – sustained injuries that would require surgery and will miss significant time.

In McKinney’s case, he fractured a bone in his left foot, and underwent surgery on Wednesday to correct the issue. The prognosis is he’ll be out approximately three months, which means is he can make it back this season but it won’t be until around Thanksgiving.

That’s too bad for both McKinney and the Giants. The second-rounder out of Alabama was on the verge of wrapping up a starting role on the defense next to Jabrill Peppers in the middle of the Giants’ secondary. Now, the Giants will likely turn to second-year player Julian Love, who started there the final month of last season to mixed results.

“Any injury to our roster is a hit to us because we care about every player on our roster,’ head coach Joe Judge said. “But it’s our responsibility to have everyone developed and make sure the next man is ready to go.”

That is true. Every NFL team goes through a spate of injuries but the McKinney and Mayo (meniscus) injuries hit hard at a time when the the Giants were just getting their footing on defense.

Judge did not have all of the information needed on Wednesday to make an informed statement as McKinney was still having his procedure done.

“To be completely honest with you, I have to wait and see what the surgeons say when they go ahead and work on it,” he said. “From what I understand, it’s two different options of what it could be. I’m holding out hope that we get all of our players back from injury as fast as possible. We’ll see where that goes and I’m sure we’ll have a timetable sooner than later for you guys. I would just say that with all the timetable stuff, it’s important to be nimble. Every injury is different, every person is different. The recovery time can’t be one size fits all. We have to see where he’s going with this. I know he is going to work hard to rehab and get his body ready. We have to keep his mind and moving and keep him engaged with the team.”

Mayo finished last season as a starter at inside linebacker after rookie Ryan Connelly went down early in the year with a torn ACL. He was penciled in again as the starter this summer next to free agent Blake Martinez as Connelly is still not participating fully in practices. Mayo was also being challenged by Devante Downs, who has made an impression on the coaches at camp this month. Judge said on Wednesday, Mayo’s situation was wait-and-see as well, but confirmed he would have surgery on Thursday.

“Very much like Zay, we have to wait and see what the doctors say after they go in. I was told today by Ronnie (Barnes, Sr. VP of Medical Services) that he had been looking at his knee. There wasn’t anything that we thought was an issue, I guess it flared up on him yesterday. Ronnie came into my office this morning and let me know where he’s at. They are taking a look at him, they should have more news for me tomorrow and we will see where that’s at. He’s a guy that we respect a lot and we’re counting on for a lot production this year. Get him healthy and back out there as soon as possible.”

The Giants’ secondary is already strapped with DeAndre Baker on the Commissioner’s exempt list and Sam Beal inactive after opting out due to coronavirus concerns. They do have other options but McKinney was their “steal of the draft” this year – a first round round talent who fell to them in the second round. He was poised to make a significant contribution as a rookie.

One player who the Giants did not have in their plans that may now be is rookie free agent Jarren Williams, the former UAlbany player who they picked up off waivers three weeks ago. Williams is a cornerback by trade but the Giants believe he might be able to help them at safety.

“He’s one of those guys that has shown some ability,” defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said on Wednesday. “Like you, I didn’t know a lot about him coming into this. He showed up and I was like, ‘Well, we may have something here.’ He’s competing hard, he has good athleticism, he has good size. He has a chance to develop hopefully into something and we’ll see where it goes. But he’s done a good job of at least grabbing people’s attention.”

It’s down to getting lucky for the Giants right now. That’s something they haven’t been as of late.

Â