Getty ATHENS, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 12: T.J. Brunson #6 and Jaycee Horn #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks react after a missed field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship #98 of the Georgia Bulldogs in second overtime gave them a 20-17 win at Sanford Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Giants‘ linebacker depth took a hit in their first preseason matchup with the Jets on Saturday night, as T.J. Brunson suffered a torn ACL.
Brunson made a huge play to force a fumble late in the game, which setup the Giants’ only score. However, on the following series, Brunson went down to the turf after rushing the passer, and was ultimately carted off the field.
On Sunday afternoon, it was revealed that Brunson suffered what will likely be a season-ending knee injury. In addition to Brunson, safety Joshua Talu has a torn pectoral muscle as well.
To expand on Brunson, the Giants drafted him in the seventh-round of the 2020 NFL draft out of the University of South Carolina. He appeared in five games during his rookie season, recording five tackles on special teams.
He received only two total snaps on defense, and 53 snaps on special teams last season, where he was expected to contribute again this year.
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Giants’ LB Depth
With Brunson likely done for the season, the Giants’ depth at inside linebacker becomes thinner, leaving Blake Martinez, Reggie Ragland, Tae Crowder and Devante Downs as the only natural options remaining.
But they do have the versatile Carter Coughlin, who is typically an edge rusher due to his size, but has been spending a good amount of time on the inside this summer as well.
In addition to being a standout at the University of Minnesota on the edge, Coughlin did receive some snaps at inside linebacker in college too.
The Giants also drafted rookie edge rusher Azeez Ojulari at No. 50 overall out of Georgia this year, who is expected to play a significant role at outside linebacker. Along with Ojulari, the Giants have Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines coming back from season-ending injuries, as well as second-year linebacker Cam Brown, veteran Ryan Anderson, Ifeadi Odenigbo and youngster Niko Lalos.
Preseason Standouts
And speaking of Carter Coughlin, he was impressive in the Giants’ first preseason matchup with the Jets on Saturday night.
Coughlin logged all of his snaps at inside linebacker and his skillset translated over from the edge nicely, picking up a strip-sack and a tackle for a loss. Coughlin will now be leaned on more at this position as a reserve with Brunson out.
Along with Coughlin, Corey Clement had a promising debut at running back for the Giants last night. Clement gave the offense some rhythm, rushing for 34 yards on five carries. However, he did fumble near the goal line, which gave the Jets the ball back.
But at the moment, Clement has outperformed Deontae Booker for the Giants’ main backup slot behind star tailback Saquon Barkley.
Beyond the latter two, wide receiver David Sills continued to build his case to crack the Giants’ 53-man roster. Sills played the second most snaps of any Giant with 32, and had three catches for 49 yards on Saturday, including a pretty 37-yard reception from quarterback Clayton Thorson. In order for Sills to make the team over wide receiver C.J. Board, he must prove he is worthy enough to fill in at gunner on special teams.
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