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As always, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Wednesday (Nov. 1), kicking off Week 9 with an all-encompassing injury update.
First and foremost, quarterback Daniel Jones is “good to go” and will get the normal workload of starter reps in practice this week.
Daboll also noted that both starting offensive tackles — Andrew Thomas (hamstring) and Evan Neal (ankle) — have “an opportunity to play” against the Las Vegas Raiders. “We’ll take that day by day and see where they are on Friday,” he followed up.
Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor is also back with the organization after a “rib cage” injury. Daboll explained that he’s still being evaluated but appears to have avoided any sort of internal damage.
Those were the positive updates from the Giants HC. The big negative was the status of key tight end Darren Waller.
“Waller’s got a hamstring,” the Giants HC noted. “We’ll see where he’s at, he’s not going to [practice] today.”
Daboll added that Big Blue will “take [Waller] day by day, but you never know how hamstrings are, so we’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week.”
As Giants fans have learned, a hamstring ailment can be minor, or a long-term absence in the case of Thomas. Hopefully, the playmaking tight end is available against his old team on November 5.
Giants Week 9 Injury Update: Darren Waller ‘Unlikely’ to Play vs. Raiders, Cowboys Matchup Also in Doubt
In a breaking news update, Waller told reporters that his new hamstring injury could “potentially” keep him out for multiple weeks (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan).
“It may take a little bit,” the tight end admitted, preaching patience over reaggravation.
New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard also quoted Waller, who voiced: “The main reason I missed [eight] games last year was because I was trying to come back and reaggravating it like [two] or [three] times in practice where nobody could really see it.”
“Taking a little more of an approach and saying OK, like, why not if it’s four weeks, if it’s three weeks, whatever it is, use that time efficiently and not try to be a hero and come back,” he went on. “Because that’s really just me stressing and pushing, and it’s like, I gotta take care of my body first.”
Among others in the NY media, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan concluded that “[after] speaking to Darren Waller, [he’s] definitely expecting him to miss time.”
Duggan projected that it “seems like it could be a few weeks,” while Raanan acknowledged that it is “very unlikely” that Waller is available in Las Vegas with his status also “in question” versus the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10.
Giants Reporter Believes Evan Neal Will Return vs. Raiders, Andrew Thomas’ Status Still Unclear
Big Blue has not had their entire starting five on the offensive line since Week 1. For that to change in Week 9, both Thomas and Neal would have to prove that they are ready to roll.
According to Leonard of the NYDN, Neal appears to be trending towards playing versus the Raiders while Thomas’ status is still unclear.
“Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas both did more today while we were watching than they did last week,” Leonard relayed on November 1.
Continuing: “A week ago today, it looked like Neal was closer than Thomas. We’ll see where that leaves them. For now, my hunch is Neal comes back vs Raiders, and Thomas is a maybe.”
It’s very early in Week 9, so let’s not jump to any conclusions from this initial Giants injury update. Having said that, the G-Men do seem to be getting healthier — slowly but surely.
Giants’ Brian Daboll Discusses Backup QB Battle Between Tommy DeVito & Matt Barkley
Aside from Waller, Taylor was the only other “did not practice” on Wednesday.
Assuming he doesn’t suit up in Week 9 — which feels like a longshot at this time — rookie Tommy DeVito and veteran Matt Barkley are now the two backup options behind Jones.
“Matt’s had familiarity in what we do and understands our terminology,” Daboll told reporters on the Barkley addition. “He’s been around, he’s been with us for a while, he knows our stuff.”
As for the head coach’s trust in DeVito — or lack thereof after just seven pass attempts in Week 8 — Daboll stated the following message for fans.
“I’d say we wanted to play that game [against the New York Jets] a certain way,” he said, adding: “And each game is different.”
Barkley would have to be elevated from the practice squad in order to play on Sunday, while Taylor and DeVito are currently on the 53-man roster. The Giants have the next few days to make their decision.
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