The injuries continue to mount for the New York Giants, as promising second-year cornerback Tre Hawkins III suffered a fractured lumbar spine in Sunday’s 14-11 loss to the New Orleans Saints, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
Giants’ Tre Hawkins becomes the next player to suffer a serious injury
The setback is a tough blow for the Giants secondary, as that position group has dealt with numerous injuries and underperforming players this season. Deonte Banks and Dru Phillips already sat out Sunday’s game with injuries of their own, so now they will likely have to dive deep into the depth chart or the practice squad to replace Hawkins.
This is another devastating injury that the team has suffered in recent weeks. Left tackle Andrew Thomas underwent season-ending foot surgery earlier in the year, and they will already be without nose tackle Dexter Lawrence for the remainder of the season with a dislocated elbow. Additionally, linebacker Bobby Okereke, who played every snap last season, sat out of Sunday’s game against the Saints with a back issue.
Hawkins was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 draft and has flashed great promise in the limited action he has gotten despite being a late-round pick.
Hawkins was great Sunday against the Saints
Sunday’s game against the Saints was just his second game of the season, but he was playing very well before suffering the spine injury. In that game, he recorded five tackles, two stops, one pass breakup, and an interception, which was the team’s first interception since Darius Muasau in Week 1.
Hawkins also excelled in coverage, allowing just a 57.1% (4-for-7) completion rate for 60 yards against the Saints. He flashed a strong skillset in the secondary and could have had a chance to maintain a larger role the rest of the season before the injury.
It will now be next man up for the Giants, who sit a 2-11 on the season with four games remaining. Their next matchup is set for Sunday, Dec. 15 when they take on the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium.