Giants Lean on Next Man Up After Calvin Austin's Devastating Injury

Not that the New York Giants needed anything else to strengthen their bond, but the seemingly devastating knee injury suffered by receiver Calvin Austin brought an already tight-knit group even closer.

The players gathered in prayer for their fallen teammate, coming over to check on him as he lay on the ground in pain just before being carted away.

Now the team must pick up the pieces and figure out where to go from here after losing Austin, who was on his way to locking up a roster spot as the team’s slot receiver and return specialist.

“I'll say this about Calvin Austin: what an unbelievable kid, what a great person and a great talent,” said offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

“I think naturally you always think the worst when something like that happens, but we don't know. I'm going to go in there and tell him I love him, and I appreciate everything about him.”

Who’s the Next Man Up?

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Austin isn’t back at practice—and early reports seem to indicate that might be the case—the Giants’ receiving room will need to be reshuffled.

The injury, if season-ending, potentially opens a spot for a receiver whose roster chances might have otherwise been on the bubble, such as Odell Beckham Jr. or Braxton Berrios.

“He's really done a great job. Braxton does everything right. He's been in a lot of different offenses,” Nagy said. “Some of the words were totally different from what he's done in the past, but he picked it up super fast.

“He’s at the right spot all the time, Braxton. He does a great job. We'll see what happens, but Braxton's a great player.”

New York Giants wide receiver Braxton Berrios | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And Beckham?

“Odell got here towards the end of OTAs and really didn't know anything. He's just trying to get out here and physically show that he can make plays. We all know who Odell was and what we want him to be,” Nagy said.

“We get back here in training camp, and every day he's getting more and more reps, and he's starting to understand our system. Now he can play a little faster and let his physical skills really jump out to all of us and make plays.”

Beckham did just that in Tuesday’s practice, having one of his best sessions of the summer with five receptions. But the Giants are going to need him to carry over his strong practice showings to the playing field, which thus far hasn’t been the case.

“I know he's super frustrated about that drop he had in the game the other day. We all know nine times out of ten he's going to catch that, but I like where he's at,” Nagy said.

“The biggest thing with him, though, is just being able to really stay focused and locked in on the details of the specifics.

“To be a great wide receiver nowadays, you've got to be able to adjust post-snap, and you've got to be able to know where to line up. That's a process. He's been very patient, and I'm proud of where he's at.”

Can’t Lose Scenario

Whoever the Giants decide on, though, Nagy is confident it will work out.

“I think the beautiful part of what Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh) has done [is] his message has been positivity and understanding that the next guy has got to step up and play,” Nagy said.

“So, we feel like we have a great amount of competition and depth here. And the next guy has got to do that. If it does go that route, that's a part of football. It happens across the league, and it sucks, but that's what's real. We've just got to be able to step up and adjust from it.”

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