Getty ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 19: Kadarius Toney #1 of the Florida Gators takes in this reception for a touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half of the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
As expected, the Giants sat a number of starters in their first preseason matchup against the crosstown rival New York Jets on Saturday. But one name who came as a surprise inactive was first-round draft pick Kadarius Toney.
According to Giants head coach Joe Judge, Toney is dealing with an injury, but he did not disclose the exact issue.
“He’s been dealing with it for a little bit, something that was aggravated in practice toward the tail end of this week, so he was unable to play,” said Judge of Toney after the game.
After starting training camp on the COVID-19/reserve list, the Giants have been easing Toney back into action at a slow pace. Last Saturday, Toney had his biggest workload of camp, before scaling it back a bit this past week. Toney was spotted getting his hamstrings stretched out by a trainer during Tuesday’s practice, and sat out the rest of that practice.
As Judge went onto note, he is hopeful that Toney will be able to return this week when the Giants travel to Cleveland for joint practices with the Browns. And according to Judge, the plan is for Toney to join the team on their trip down there.
Regardless, Toney’s tenure with the Giants hasn’t gotten off to the smoothest of starts. Seeing Toney on the field has been a bit of a rarity so far in the offseason, which is a lose-lose for both the player and team.
The rookie is losing valuable reps and experience, while the team hasn’t gotten the chance to test out his skillset in their system. Due to all the time he has missed already, Toney also hasn’t been able to build much chemistry with his quarterback Daniel Jones.
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Was Drafting Toney a Mistake?
For the first time in his career as a general manager, Dave Gettleman traded back in the 2021 NFL draft. The Giants swapped picks with the Chicago Bears to move back from No. 11 to No. 20 in order to gain a 2022 first-rounder.
The Giants wanted Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith, but were colluded against by their two NFC East division rivals in the Cowboys and Eagles, who swapped picks of their own so Philadelphia could take Smith one spot before the Giants. Instead, the Giants traded with the Bears, who moved up to get their franchise quarterback of the future in Justin Fields.
This led to the Giants acquiring a first and a fourth in next year’s draft, and also saw them select the dynamic versatile wideout from Florida in Kadarius Toney.
And while the Giants were praised for adding a high ceiling playmaker in Toney, they might have hurt their team in the long run due to the decision to pass on offensive lineman Rashawn Slater, who was still available at No. 11.
Although gaining a first rounder in 2022 to trade back nine picks would have been tough to pass up, the Giants’ offensive line is already a major concern heading into this season due to a lack of depth.
Drafting Slater, who is turning heads in Los Angeles Chargers camp, would have given the Giants a much deeper and more stable line. Especially with projected starting guard Shane Lemieux out for the next few weeks with a sprained MCL, while veteran Nate Solder is on the shelf currently as well.
Granted, the Giants did have Zach Fulton and Joe Looney as formidable backups, but both players retired earlier in camp, while two more critical members of this unit went down with injuries, leaving their depth razor thin.
If the Giants are going to take the next step this year, they are going to require better offensive line play. But at the moment, the most important group might be the weakest on the roster, which can and will spell trouble for the team next season.
Giants OL Depth Chart
As previously mentioned, the Giants’ offensive line could be an issue again this year due to a lack of depth. They also cut ties with one of their most solid starters in Kevin Zeitler this offseason, as a salary cap casualty.
Due to the injuries to Lemieux, Solder and Jonotthan Harrison, Kenny Wiggins was forced to start at left guard in the Giants’ first preseason game and things did not go very well for him. Wiggins had a rough go of things getting beaten badly on several blocks in the first few possessions he played.
The Giants also signed veteran guard Ted Larsen on Friday after their assistant line coach Ben Wilkerson had to stand in last week during practice due to the team’s lack of bodies on the offensive line.
When fully healthy, the Giants’ starting line is expected to be: (from left to right) Andrew Thomas, Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez and Matt Peart. But after Looney and Fulton retired, Solder and Harrison are the only reasonable reserves. However, they are both injured.
And as we have learned in the early part of camp, the Giants are one injury away from disaster on their offensive line due to a lack of depth.
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