Why NY Giants Defense Will Miss ILB Micah McFadden on Defense

The Giants' run defense takes a significant hit as ILB Micah McFadden is reportedly going to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season according to a report.

Jul 23, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Micah McFadden (41) on the field during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants received some bad news on Tuesday as inside linebacker Micah McFadden, who was injured early in the first quarter of the team’s 21-6 Week 1 loss to the Washington Commanders, is expected to miss a significant amount of the season with a foot injury.

#Giants LB Micah McFadden will miss a significant part of the season with a foot injury suffered vs. the #Commanders, sources tell me and @RapSheet. X-rays on game day were negative but further testing showed McFadden will be out a while. The hope is it won’t be the whole season. pic.twitter.com/Fy7rB5bypG

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 9, 2025

McFadden, who was carted off the Northwest Stadium field with his right leg in an aircast after his right foot seemed to be pinned awkwardly underneath him, underwent X-rays at the stadium, which came back negative. He was able to return to the sideline in street clothes, his right foot in a walking boot.

Further tests done after he returned to New Jersey with the team apparently dampened the hope that McFadden wouldn’t miss too much time. McFadden, who is in a contract year, could, according to the NFL Network report, miss most if not all of the season.

McFadden was a fifth-round draft pick for the Giants in 2022 out of Indiana. His loss is a blow to an already shaky Giants run defense. Before McFadden’s injury, the Giants, who gave up a total of 2202 rushing yards to the Commanders, had allowed an average of 5.8 yards on six rushing attempts. 

That average jumped to 7.1 yards per attempt on 26 rushes; the Commanders also scored two touchdowns on the ground in their victory.

New York Giants linebacker Micah McFadden was in a contract year. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

McFadden, who last year led the Giants in tackles with 107, was replaced by second-year linebacker Darius Muasau, their sixth-round draft pick last year. 

Muasau’s day started shaky, as he was beaten easily by tight end Zach Ertz in single coverage for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The youngster finished with just two tackles in 38 defensive snaps played.

The Giants will likely place McFadden on IR with the hope that he’s able to return later in the season. They currently have Swayze Bozeman on their practice squad as an option to fill McFadden’s roster spot.

Bozeman went undrafted in 2024, signing with the Kansas City Chiefs after the draft. He appeared in three games that season and recorded three defensive tackles. But he was mostly deployed on special teams, where he played 57 snaps. 

Rookie Abdul Carter, who played inside lienbacker for two seasons at Penn State, could also help fill the gap in the interim and on a spot basis.

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