Getty The Injury that kept Giants' top pick, Kayvon Thibodeaux, in a red jersey during OTAs has been revealed.
Kayvon Thibodeaux remains a game-time decision for the New York Giants‘ season opener on Sunday, Sept. 11 in Tennessee against the Titans, but the rookie linebacker opened up for the first time about the preseason hit that has sidelined him since.
“I’m not trying to think about the past,” Thibodeaux told reporters on Sept. 6, when asked if he thought the blind-side block that caused his knee injury was dirty. “I talked to him, and I’m not really worrieda bout it, we’re moving forward and trying to get better and make sure you play with very good technique.”
Thibodeaux went down in a heap after a cut block by Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Thaddeus Moss.
Kayvon Thibodeaux went down holding his right knee after taking this cut block…
He waived off the cart and was able to walk off under his own power 🙏
Still a very limited participant in practice, Thibodeaux was back working on the side, according to multiple reports. It remains to be seen if Thibodeaux will be able to dress for the Giants’ season opener. But, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft says that injuries such as his sprained MCL are part of the game.
“It’s football,” Thibodeaux said. “It’s a 100 percent injury rate. You’ve got to just be ready to recover when your time comes, and be ready tro be smart in different situations.”
When Thibodeaux was injured, he walked off the field under his own power and turned down the cart. Obviously, given the nature of his injury and how it occurred, a sprained MCL was probably the best possible outcome for Thibodeaux and the Giants.
Still, in the moment, Thibodeaux didn’t look at it that way, or that dodging a more serious prognosis was some sort of blessing.
“It wasn’t really a sigh,” Thibodeaux said, of his prognosis. “My knee was hurting, don’t get me wrong, so it wasn’t really a sigh. It was just, this is what the results are, and I’ve got to go make a play, I’ve got to make things happen, and bounce back.”
The Giants are banking on Thibodeaux, who produced 126 total tackles, 19 sacks, and 35.5 tackles for loss across 30 collegiate games at Oregon, being a centerpiece of a rebuilt pass rush. Last season, only eight teams produced fewer sacks than the Giants’ 34, as a team.
Prior to getting injured, Thibodeaux was in the midst of a strong training camp, where he flashed explosiveness and solid bend off the edge, in practice.
Compounding issues for the Giants, is fellow pass-rusher Azeez Ojulari is also sidelined due to a calf injury that has kept him day-to-day.
But, New York and Thibodeaux may need to wait at least a week before seeing him in action in coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s defense.
“I’m doing a lot better,” Thibodeaux explained. “Continuous rehab and we just continue to push forward. I’ve just got to be able to practice. If you don’t practice, you don’t play. Me just being able to get out there, get some work and do everything that I need to do the time I need to get my job done.”
The Giants and Titans kick off the 2022 regular season at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11 inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.