New York Giants Week 8 Storylines
The Battle of the Big Apple is upon us this weekend as the New York Giants host the New York Jets. Here's a look at the biggest storylines we'll be following.
Daniel Jones
Appearing for his weekly spot on the Up & Adams show, quarterback Daniel Jones didn't sound like a man who was cleared for contact from his neck injury suffered in Week 5. The chances of him being cleared for contact by Wednesday's practice would seem slim, and the odds of him potentially missing another week seem to be increasing.
Don't expect Jones or head coach Brian Daboll to give much in the way of detail when asked about his status other than to say he's getting better, which you'd expect anyway the farther out from an injury a player is.
But if Jones does indeed miss another week and the Giants have to elevate Tommy DeVito for a third time (which would be his last before he has been subjected to waivers), the Giants could find themselves with a decision to make regarding whether to continue carrying Jones on the roster if he isn't cleared for contact or moving him to IR and bringing another quarterback onto the roster, be it DeVito or someone else.
The Offensive Line
The Giants were said to be expecting some "reinforcements" this week on the offensive line. The question is, who?
Already, we know Matt Peart isn't going to be one of them, as he was placed on IR with a shoulder issue. Left tackle, Andrew Thomas is believed to be one of the guys they hope to ramp up, but it would seem like a long shot for the team to put him out there (assuming he has no setbacks) after so many weeks of inactivity without at least first letting him go through several practices to work his way up to a full participant status.
John Michael Schmitz is another guy to keep an eye on. Not much is known about Schmitzz's shoulder injury--he hasn't been seen wearing any sort of harness, and to watch him in the locker room, you wouldn't think he had any sort of upper-body injury, which makes one wonder if what he has is a stinger.
Regardless, the Giant's offensive line could be looking at yet another different starting combination if Neal returns, but Thomas doesn't, and Justin Pugh has to again play left tackle.
And the Rest?
The offensive line isn't the only unit dealing with injuries. Cornerback Adoree' Jackson's neck issue sort of flew under the radar last week until he showed up on the inactive report.
Running back Gary Brightwell, who had been dealing with an ankle issue for a couple of weeks, strained his hamstring in last week's game, leaving one to believe that, considering the Giants added two running backs to their roster on Tuesday, his status isn't looking good for Sunday.
We'll find out later today who else shows up on the injury report and what they were able to do, but clearly, this is one banged-up Giants team.
Trader Joe?
The 2023 NFL trade deadline is in six days, and it will be interesting to see if the Giants are planning to make any moves before then.
Overall, the Giants aren't expected to go crazy and conduct a firesale, especially after winning against the Commanders last week, a win that gave their sinking season a bit of a reprieve.
There are a few players the Giants could look to move if the price is right, starting with Jackson if he's healthy. New York seems committed to its youth movement, which would make Jackson, in the last year of his contract,t expendable.
Leonard Williams is another guy that they could look to move if they want to commit more playing time to youngsters D.J. Davidson and Jordon Riley.
Xavier McKinney? The Giants do have Dane Belton as their third safety right now, so if they don't feel good about McKiney's future here, they could look to move him as well, as he's in the final year of his contract.
One guy who has been rumored to be on the trade block but who is unlikely to be moved is running back Saquon Barkley. Bakrley revealed after last week's game that he had conversations with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, and he indicated that both didn't seem open to the idea of moving him.
With good reason. Barkley has been a difference-maker on offense for the Giants, so if they have any chance of putting together a run, they probably don't want to move one of their key players.
What about a receiver? Might the Giants look to move Parris Campbell, who seems to have lost a role on this team, in favor of the youth movement? That could be something to watch as well.
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