Getty Cody Core #17 of the New York Giants.
The New York Giants‘ wide receiver corps just got a bit thinner, while their special teams unit has taken a massive blow.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan was the first to report on fifth-year wideout Cody Core’s apparent torn Achilles injury. The Giants have since confirmed that devastating news, announcing Core has been placed on season-ending IR after tearing his Achilles tendon running a route during an 11-on-11 drill late in practice on Tuesday.
Core becomes the first Giants player this season to land on the IR.
Crushing Blow to Big Blue’s Special Teams
While he may not be a household name, ex-Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said it best when discussing Core to the media last December, stating “he’s not unsung in our view.” Shurmur went on to note that “part of why we brought him here was because he’s had an impact his whole career on special teams, and I think this year is no different.”
Shurmur nailed it on the head when it comes to Core’s value to the team. The ex-Bengals wide receiver was claimed off of waivers by Big Blue at the start of the 2019 season and quickly carved out a key role upon his arrival in New York. The former sixth-round pick out of Ole Miss appeared in all 16 games with the Giants last year, cementing himself as a special teams ace, racking up a team-leading eight special teams tackles. He also chipped in with 28 receiving yards on three receptions.
Core was re-signed to a two-year deal earlier this offseason and was expected to compete with Corey Coleman for the fourth-wide receiver spot. Now, Core will set his sights on the 2021 season, while youngsters such as David Sills V, Binjimen Victor and Derrick Dillon, amongst others, will be called upon to man a more significant role.
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Nate Ebner Becomes Even More Crucial
When the Giants opted to bring head coach Joe Judge aboard this offseason, the former New England Patriots special teams coordinator made it a point to target one of his former aces early in free agency.
While Nate Ebner may be designated as a safety on the Giants’ official roster, the former USA Olympic Rugby star has made his presence felt elsewhere over his NFL career. Since 2017, Ebner has played one mere defensive snap. On the other hand, the Giants’ free-agent addition has played a grand total of 817 special teams snaps over that same time.
To further drive home Ebner’s dominance, he has earned a Pro Football Focus overall special teams grade of 70.0-plus in six consecutive seasons.
Good news for Giants fans, even with the Core injury, the insertion of Judge as the lead man in New York as well as the addition of Ebner likely means good things for Big Blue’s special teams.
Patriots special teams grade ranks w/ Joe Judge
2015: 8th
2016: 1st
2017: 10th
2018: 5th
2019: 7th
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Giants WR Suffers Devastating Season-Ending Injury