Giants rookie LB Kayvon Thibodeaux, the fifth overall selection in this year’s draft, suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the team announced Monday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Thibodeaux is expected to miss three to four weeks, which means he could miss the season opener on September 12 against the Titans.
“I’d say it’s day-to-day, really,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “I’m not forecasting when a player can come back or not come back. I know he’ll come in and get treatment. We’ll take it day-by-day, and when he’s ready to go out there, that’s when we’ll put him out there.”
Thibodeaux was hurt in the second quarter in the team’s 25-22 win over the Bengals Sunday night when Cincinnati tight end Thaddeus Moss went low on a block, and Thibodeaux’s knee bent awkwardly. He was noticeably in pain, but he did walk off under his own power.
The block on Thibodeaux has come under much scrutiny, including from Cowboys LB Micah Parsons, who believes cut blocks should be outlawed.
“Those are tough blocks – the blocks that are coming from across the line of scrimmage within the tackle box,” Daboll said. “You’ve got to see it, and then you’ve got to do a great job of trying to play with your hands. So, it’s unfortunate that K.T. went down. But that’s part of the game.”
In other news, rookie linebacker Darrian Beavers will be out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. The sixth-round pick in this year’s draft sustained the injury in the third quarter Sunday night.
Notes:
-Beavers is the second Giants’ 11-player draft class member to lose his first season with a torn ACL. Offensive lineman Marcus McKethan, a fifth-round choice, suffered his injury on August 5.
*Kicker Graham Gano suffered a concussion when he fell and hit his head on a 73-yard kickoff return by Chris Evans. Punter Jamie Gillan handled placekicks and kickoffs in the second half. According to Daboll, the Giants may add a kicker this week.
