EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It doesn’t seem like the Giants’ injury woes are coming to an end any time soon. Just as practice had been wrapping up, offensive linebacker Azeez Ojulari came up limping as the Giants were going through sprints.
The injury occurred as the Giants were hosting their MetLife Stadium roommates, the New York Jets, On Thursday. It had been the first joint practice between the two teams since 2005.
The Giants’ edge rusher was looked at by trainers on the sideline immediately after and he had to be helped off the field as he walked by reporters with a limp. Ojulari had started camp on the non-football injury list with a hamstring issue.
There were no immediate updates from the Giants on Ojulari, but NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton reported that the injury may not have been as bad as it appeared to be following an exam at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. It would be a welcomed break for the Giants, who just yesterday lost receiver Collin Johnson for the season to a torn Achilles.
Doesn’t sound like Ojulari lower leg injury is as bad as it may have looked coming off the field. I’m sure tests will follow, but as of now, the hope is that it isn’t as bad as it may have appeared following on-site exam. https://t.co/7ljN4x7OQC
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 25, 2022
“Injuries are part of the game,” head coach Brian Daboll said ahead of practice on Thurday. “You deal with whatever comes your way as a coach, as a player. It’s an unfortunate deal that people get hurt. But it’s a competitive sport. There’s high speeds and collisions. And unfortunately, yesterday, Collin Johnson. I’d hate to miss this. What a great person. He was making a really strong case for himself in camp and had a non-contact injury where he just kind of slipped and popped his Achilles.”
As for Ojulari, he has been one of the Giants’ best players on the defensive side of the ball and he had a stellar rookie season last year. He started eight games and appeared in all 17 contests for New York last season, while setting a rookie franchise record with 8.0 sacks.
Any loss of time for Ojulari would be felt by the Giants with Kayvon Thibodeaux out and at risk of missing Week 1.
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There was at least some positive indications for another injured Giant. And that was wideout Kadarius Toney, who practiced on Wednesday and who Daboll indicated was slowly getting better.
“He’s getting better. He’s rehabbing,” Daboll said. We’ll see how that goes. I think he’s making strides every day, and hopefully we’ll see a little bit more today. We’ll see how much he does relative to team periods and things like that. But hopeful that we’ll see a little bit.”
