Giants Starting Linebacker Lands on IR Ahead of Week 16 Tilt with Minnesota

New York Giants outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux’s 2025 season is officially over.

The Giants placed the fourth-year linebacker on injured reserve on Saturday after Thibodeaux, who hoped to return before the end of the season, was unable to recover from a shoulder injury he suffered in a Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Thibodeaux, who next year will enter his option year in which he’s due to count for $14.751 million against the cap, has now landed on IR two seasons in a row.

He finishes his fourth season having appeared in 10 games and recorded 25 tackles, 2.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits, and two pass breakups.

Rookie Abdul Carter, who has been starting for Thibodeaux during his absence (and when he wasn’t being disciplined for missing team meetings), will start in place of Thibodeaux for the rest of the way.

The Giants activated cornerback Art Green off injured reserve to fill Thibodeaux’s roster spot. Green potentially takes the place of cornerback Nic Jones, who had been a special teams staple on all four units.

Lastly, the Giants used a standard practice squad elevation on defensive lineman Elijah Chatman and kicker Ben Sauls.

This is the third and final elevation the team can use on Chatman. The Giants declared defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (ankle) out on Friday, so Chatman figures to get some of Nunez-Roches's snaps.

Chatman can also line up as a fullback in short-yardage and goalline situations for the Giants, having done so twice this season, both in Week 11 versus Green Bay.

This is the first standard elevation for Sauls, who becomes the fifth kicker for the Giants this season following the waiving of Younghoe Koo last week.

This weekend will be Sauls’s NFL debut.

“He's done a nice job, he’s really done a nice job,” said interim head coach Mike Kafka of the left-footed Sauls.

“Obviously kicked inside, but then went outside onto the game field and did some work as well, so it was good to kind of get him out there and get him used to the environment a little bit.

The Giants host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET.

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