In the first half of Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants interior defender Leonard Williams walked to the sideline and into the tunnel. Williams didn’t have a limp or a ginger step, but held his arm in pain, returning later on with a brace on his elbow.
Williams was eventually ruled out with injury. For the first time this season, the Giants lost their star interior lineman. Having never missed a game of his entire career due to injury, Williams is projected to miss the rest of the season with the elbow issue, which was coined “significant” by NFL reporter Ian Rapoport.
#Giants DE Leonard Williams suffered an elbow injury on Sunday that is feared to be significant, sources say. He’s having tests done, but he’s going to miss time. And given how late it is during the season, there is a chance he doesn’t return.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 13, 2021
Williams signed a three-year, $63 million deal this past off-season, counting $9.4 million against the salary cap and $27.3 million against the teams salary in 2022. The deal includes an out in 2023 which would count $8.3 million in dead money, a nice parting gift from general manager Dave Gettleman, who is expected to retire at season’s end.
Despite the Giants playing less than adequate football, Williams has tallied 62 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 10 QB hits, and four tackles for a loss this season. Natural regression affected his play after posting 11.5 sacks, 30 QB hits, and 14 tackles for loss in 2020, but he has still been effective for the most part.
The Giants’ defense doesn’t deserve the brunt of the blame, considering the offense is averaging below 18 points per game for the second consecutive season and once again looking toward a major overhaul this upcoming off-season.
At this point, Joe Judge and the coaching staff are simply trying to press the fast-forward button to the end of the year, with the majority of the team’s playmakers missing significant time.