The summer of injuries continues for the New York Giants, who saw rookie cornerback Deandre Baker go down over the weekend with a knee injury.
But they did receive some good news on Monday morning.
The Giants announced that the 2019 first-round pick has a sprained knee after further evaluations by the team physician. A sprain was the initial diagnosis on Sunday when the cornerback revealed he felt something in his left knee during practice. However, there was a fear that it could have been as severe as a torn ACL.
SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano added that the Giants hope “he won’t be out too long,” but they will be “cautious” moving forward.
Baker was seen on Monday in uniform watching practice from the sidelines.
Selected 30th overall out of Georgia, Baker is going to be looked upon to boost the Giants new-look secondary.
Over the past year, the Giants have parted ways with the likes of Eli Apple, BW Webb, and All-Pro safety Landon Collins.
The Giants attempted to replace Collins with Jabrill Peppers, a versatile safety who was acquired from the Cleveland Browns in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
They also drafted cornerbacks Julian Love in the fourth round of Notre Dame and Corey Ballentine in the sixth round out of Washburn.
With 115 tackles and seven interceptions in three collegiate seasons, the 21-year-old Baker is expected to be the team’s No. 2 cornerback behind veteran Janoris Jenkins. Hence why this injury was such a pivotal moment for the banged-up Giants.
It’s been a difficult summer for Pat Shurmur, Dave Gettleman, and Co. as key contributors continue to drop.
Behind Baker on the depth chart is Grant Haley, who is expected to take another big step in his professional development after starting 10 games last season with the Giants. He sprained his shoulder on Aug. 1 and is practicing in a yellow, non-contact pinny.
Another cornerback in Sam Beal is dealing with a hamstring issue while linebacker Alec Ogletree injured his calf.
They’re additions to an injury report that has been dominated by Giants wide receivers as Sterling Shepard (thumb), Corey Coleman (torn ACL), and Darius Slayton (hamstring) have been bitten by the injury bug.
