The New York Giants will be without their rookie starting outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux due to a sprained MCL in his right knee. The injury occurred during Sunday night's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium.
Thibodeaux, whom the Giants selected out of Oregon with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, underwent tests that showed that his ACL and meniscus were intact but that his MCL sprain would sideline him for 3-4 weeks. The injury puts Thibodeaux's regular season Giants debut in jeopardy.
New York is slated to play the Tennessee Titans when Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season begins on Sept. 11.
During the second quarter of the preseason matchup, Bengals' tight end Thaddeus Moss delivered a low (but legal) block to the rookie. Thibodeaux immediately went down and when the trainers came onto the field, he waved off the injury cart and walked off the field under his power. Thibodeaux was not seen with any walking aids after the game.
The block immediately garnered outrage from social media, with many calling it illegal. Former NFL linebacker and Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho tweeted a close-up video of the injury, saying, "This is ridiculous, dangerous, and cowardly! Straight cowardly. Prayers up for Kayvon Thibodeaux."
Giants first-year head coach Brian Daboll spoke on the hit from Moss.
"Well, that's the rules," Daboll said after the game. "You know, if they can. ... if they allow it, you know we do it as well with tight ends and fullbacks going back to the line of scrimmage, so we gotta do a good job playing it. It's a tough block, but whatever the rules are, those are the rules."
After the game, Thibodeaux told ESPN reporters, "I'm good. We're good. Good news." This relieved speculation that the edge rusher would miss the entire season due to the injury.
The Giants will now have to consider their options while their starting edge rusher is hurt. Players in contention to step up during Thibodeaux's absence include Jihad Ward, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith, Oshane Ximines, and Quincy Roche.
"KT has been doing everything we asked him to do since he's been here, being a good teammate and he's worked extremely hard," Daboll said. "So certainly, you never want to miss time, but he has the right attitude, the right approach. He'll rehab as hard as he can and be ready to go when he's ready to go."
Based on Thibodeaux's estimated recovery time and if he is not available for the Giants' first game of the season, the outside linebacker could either make his Big Blue debut in the Giants' home opener on Sept. 18 against the Carolina Panthers. He could also appear in a primetime Monday Night Football showdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 26.
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