Giants Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams Suffers Sprained MCL

New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario with his knee injury. Still, he could also be looking at missing his first NFL career game due to injury.

New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams' knee injury does not appear to be season-ending and is, according to head coach Brian Daboll, "better than it could be," adding that Williams' status is "day to day."

Williams' injury is a sprained MCL, according to an NFL Network report, which adds that the defensive lineman "may miss time."

#Giants DT Leonard Williams suffered a sprained MCL on Sunday, source said. While he may miss time, it’s not expected to be much. Coach Brian Daboll had said it was "better than it could be.”

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2022

Williams was injured in the third quarter of Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers. He walked off the field under his own power after lying on the turf for a few minutes in clear discomfort and then went right back to the locker room, where he was declared out shortly after disappearing from view.

Williams has always taken pride in his durability, having never missed a game since beginning his career in 2-15 with the Jets. Last season, he played through a painful triceps injury despite the Giants' season having been lost by that point.

Daboll indicated that Williams is already on the mend. 

“He said [Monday] he feels a lot better than he did yesterday,” he said. “He’s walking around. Hopefully, he’s a fast healer.”

If Williams is indeed sidelined next week when the Giants host the Dallas Cowboys for Monday Night Football, Justin Ellis, Nick Williams, and rookie D.J. Davidson are among the options that could see an increase in their repestive playing time on the defense.  

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