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Giants' Overlooked Injury News is Bigger Than You Think
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- Giants' Overlooked Injury News is Bigger Than You Think
(USA TODAY Network)
Back in Week 3, New York Giants superstar edge rusher Brian Burns suffered a torn ACL, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.
You can't replace Burns. He is one of the best pass rushers in football, and he is the best defensive player on the Giants. But, at the very least, New York has Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge, as well.
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The Giants also have Chauncey Golston, who possesses the versatility to play both down on the line and on the edge.
Unfortunately, Golston now has a neck injury that could result in the 28-year-old being placed on injured reserve.
It isn't really being discussed all that much given all of the other health concerns New York has, but this is pretty significant.
Golston had played in 52 precent of the Giants' defensive snaps over the first four games of the season, registering 12 tackles. And while his impact appears minimal on the stat sheet, his ability to be utilized in so many different ways makes him valuable.
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So if New York does, in fact, lose Golston for an extended period of time (and it looks like it will), it will be yet another blow to a squad that has been ravaged by injuries over the first month of the campaign.
Remember: Golston missed time with a neck injury last year, as well, so this could be a pretty serious issue for him moving forward.
The Giants signed Golston to a three-year, $18 million deal in free agency back in March 2025. At the time, it looked like a great move, especially considering he was coming off of a breakout season with the Dallas Cowboys.
But Golston barely saw the field even when he was healthy in Year 1 of his contract, and while John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson clearly had big plans for him this year, it looks like Golston has been compromised.
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The injury further thins out New York's depth in the front seven and probably will force Jihad Ward — with whom the Giants reunited last week — into action up front.
Ward had a very nice run with Big Blue in 2022 and 2023 and also had a strong showing with the Tennessee Titans (with Wilson as his defensive coordinator) last season, so the veteran is certainly capable.
But the hope was that Golston would forge a major role for the Giants. Now, it doesn't look like that will happen.
