The New York Giants have been fighting through a catastrophic number of injuries this season, and the latest star player to fight through a serious injury is defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Williams, who is known for his reliability and durability, has missed a few games this year for the first time in his career. He’s played in 573 total snaps, accruing 32 total pressures, including four sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and 17 hurries. He’s contributed 32 tackles, 23 stops, and a 9.3% missed tackle rate, his highest mark since the 2018 season with the New York Jets.
However, Williams won’t be healthy for the remainder of the season as he battles through a neck injury that has limited his contributions lately.
Williams, who has exited multiple games in severe pain recently, told the News that he is dealing with something in his trap/neck area. Even shooting it with a painkiller wouldn’t completely prevent it from cropping up in games. The ironman D-lineman said it’s something that isn’t going to be able to heal until the offseason. “Just trying to play through it,” he said.
Per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
The New York Giants will have to work around Leonard Williams’ injury:
A neck injury hasn’t been the only issue bothering Leonard, as he missed Weeks 3-5 due to an MCL sprain he sustained against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2.
Since then, he’s put together some good performances but has struggled in the tackling department the past few weeks as a result of his neck issue. He did record 2.0 sacks and three stops against the Minnesota Vikings but did miss 25% of his tackles in the process.
There is no question the Giants’ defensive line is better with Williams in the fold, so losing him is simply an unimaginable reality. They need him for the remaining two games and the playoffs, but there’s no question he needs the rest.
Unfortunately, given his monster contract, there’s a world where the Giants move on from his cap hit and re-allocate the funds. There’s also potential for a contract extension to re-work his money owed, which would help maintain the defensive front with top talent instead of running the risk of a vulnerability in 2023.