The New York Giants splurged this offseason to improve on the boundary — both offensively and defensively. They notably handed wide receiver, Kenny Golladay, $40 million guaranteed in free agency. Shortly after, they followed up that deal by making Adoree’ Jackson the NFL’s 12th-highest-paid cornerback at $13 million annually. Unfortunately, the returns on their big-ticket investments thus far have been marred by injury.
Golladay has been hampered by a hamstring injury since the first day of padded practice at training camp that continues to keep him sidelined. As for Jackson, the team’s No. 2 cornerback recently went down with a scare of his own, being carted off the practice field with an ankle injury. While the Giants held their breath, fans prepped for the worst, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Jackson was dealing with “significant swelling.”
Thankfully, while there are still more steps before we can certainly say the team is in the clear, Jackson appears to have avoided serious injury.
“Looks like we dodged a bullet right there, but we’ll see day by day how it is and we’ll move him around a little bit today with the trainers,” head coach Joe Judge said of Jackson’s injury.
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Latest on Jackson’s Health & Potential Replacements
According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Jackson’s ankle injury is believed to be “minor” and is not considered serious. A source with knowledge of Jackson’s situation informed Raanan that the cornerback “has his sights set on Week 1.”
As for who is next up in the pecking order should Jackson not be able to go come opening week against the Denver Broncos, Judge told reports, “Everybody’s competing for it right now.”
With Darnay Holmes slated to serve as the team’s primary nickel back, don’t be surprised to see camp standout Rodarius Williams get some looks opposite James Bradberry in the team’s base defense. The ever-versatile Julian Love is, of course, always an option at the position, as is the recently acquired Josh Jackson — albeit to a far lesser degree.
Giants Additions Struggling to Stay on the Field
Jackson signed a three-year, $39 million deal this summer after four seasons in Tennessee. The former first-rounder flashed high-end upside at times with the Titans and is actually Pro Football Focus’ 15th highest-graded cornerback since 2019 (75.8). However, Jackson has appeared in just 14 games over the past two seasons and is coming off a knee injury that limited him to three games in 2020.
As for Golladay, we’ll hold our ground in stating that the injury-prone label being tossed around carries little legitimacy. Yes, he appeared in just five games last season. Then again, he missed just one game over the two years prior. Still, if his hamstring injury lingers into the regular season, Gettleman will inevitably have to answer questions on his decision to commit bonafide WR1 money to a player coming off an injury and who has never eclipsed 70 receptions in a single season.
Add in Kyle Rudolph’s rocky start to his two-year contract with Big Blue and Kadarius Toney’s unorthodox summer, and the Giants’ offseason haul carries far fewer guarantees than they certainly had hoped for.
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‘We Dodged a Bullet’: Joe Judge Shares Update on Key Giants Starter