The New York Giants might’ve dodged a serious injury bullet with star rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, but sixth-round linebacker out of Cincinnati, Darrian Beavers, might not have gotten so lucky.
Beavers went down in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals after making a strong impression during training camp and Week 1 of the preseason against the New England Patriots.
He tallied three tackles and a tackle for a loss against the Pats, firmly cementing himself as the first backup behind Tae Crowder at LB2. In fact, there was an argument to make that Beavers should’ve been included in the position battle at linebacker alongside Blake Martinez.
Last season for Cincinnati, Beavers collected 98 tackles with 11 for a loss and 4.0 sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles, showcasing his pursuit on defense.
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According to Art Stapleton of USA Today, the expectation is that Beavers is bracing for a significant knee injury confirmation, which will sideline the rookie.
The New York Giants are already facing serious injury issues:
Having made such a strong impression this summer, losing Beavers would be a significant blow to a team that is already showing they can’t stay healthy. The offensive line has been blasted with injuries, forcing depth to take a bigger role.
In addition, they have minimal depth at the cornerback position and were thin at linebacker, to begin with.
General manager Joe Schoen and new head coach Brian Daboll undoubtedly face early troubles constructing the roster. Luckily, none of the cemented starting defenders have suffered injuries, but Beavers is a promising rookie that showed flashes of competent play at the NFL level.
Hopefully, he will be able to return during the 2022 season and kickstart his development.