Giants S Xavier McKinney Expects To Return This Season
The Giants have been without safety Xavier McKinney for the last three games due to a broken hand that he suffered in an ATV accident during a bye-week vacation. As Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports, McKinney is expected to miss at least several more weeks, but he does plan to return this season.
New York is 7-4 and currently holds the sixth playoff spot in the NFC. However, the club has lost two in a row and takes on the division-rival Commanders — who presently hold the seventh and final postseason spot — two times within the next three weeks. As such, Big Blue’s postseason fortunes could be largely decided before McKinney gets back on the field.
McKinney, 23, was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, and while a broken foot limited him to just six games in his rookie season, he emerged as a foundational player for the Giants in 2021, when he appeared in all 17 games (16 starts) and notched five interceptions. He also pulled down an excellent 75.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, which was especially bullish on his coverage abilities.
His PFF grade slipped to 56.3 over the first eight games of the current season, though his presence is still missed. A team captain, McKinney is also the defensive signal-caller for a unit that was ranked eighth in the league in scoring defense at the time of his injury and which is now ranked 14th in that regard.
The secondary as a whole has been hit hard by injury. In the Giants’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys, they were without starters Adoree’ Jackson, Fabian Moreau, and McKinney, and while Moreau is active for the team today, Jackson is expected to miss several more weeks. As Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets, New York is deploying Nick McCloud and Moreau on the boundaries today, while UDFA rookie Zyon Gilbert — who is making his pro debut — will work as the primary slot corner.
In McKinney’s stead, the Giants first turned to fourth-round rookie Dane Belton for two games before pivoting to Jason Pinnock, a 2021 fifth-round choice of the Jets whom Big Blue claimed off waivers during final cutdowns in August.
Giants S Xavier McKinney Facing Multi-Week Absence
3:30pm: The Giants have placed McKinney on the reserve/NFI list, per a team announcement. That will leave him sidelined for at least the next four weeks; he will require designation for a return, along the same lines as players on IR, which will open a three-week return window.
12:50pm: The Giants just completed their bye week, but the team actually lost a key member of their defense in recent days. Safety Xavier McKinney suffered a broken hand, and will now miss several weeks (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).
McKinney himself tweeted an explanation for his situation. The injury occurred during an ATV accident while he was on vacation. As Rapoport confirmed, this will leave the Giants without one of their top defensive players while they return to action looking to build off of an impressive start.
The 23-year-old has once again operated as a full-time starter on the backend of the Giants’ secondary this season. McKinney has totaled 38 tackles, four pass deflections and one sack while playing every defensive snap to date. A key communicator for the unit, the former second-rounder emerged as a foundational played for Big Blue last year, when he notched five interceptions.
As part of the team’s 6-2 start to the campaign, New York boasts the league’s eighth-ranked scoring defense (allowing an average of 19.6 points per game). The Alabama product has played an instrumental role in that success, but he will now be sidelined with the second notable injury of his career. McKinney suffered a broken foot just before his rookie season began, which limited him to six games played. He logged a full season last year.
In their search for a new partner alongside Julian Love, the Giants could turn to fourth-round rookie Dane Belton as a McKinney replacement. The Iowa alum missed the season opener, but has played a regular defensive role since. Special teamer Jason Pinnock could also be in line for a larger workload, especially with veteran Tony Jefferson on IR.
In need of continuing their hot start to keep pace in the highly-competitive NFC East, the Giants will start their time without McKinney on Sunday against the Texans.
Giants Notes: McKinney, Gono, Cunningham, Bonuses
Xavier McKinney enjoyed a career year in his second NFL season, leading the Giants with five interceptions. The former second-rounder figures to remain a bright spot on the team, but some aspects of the defense under ex-DC Patrick Graham were the subject of remarks the young safety recently made.
In conversation with Steve Serby of the New York Post, McKinney noted a marked difference in practices since the arrival of Graham’s replacement, Don Martindale, particularly in the level of communication between players and coaches. “We didn’t really have much of that these last two years, and that was a big problem,” he said. “That came with obviously a lot of like everything didn’t look organized. Even defensively there were times we played good, but sometimes the communication wasn’t there, and that’s because everybody was kind of on different… it was a lot of different things going on.
“[Under Martindale] we don’t have to worry about making a mistake on a third down or a fourth down or something like that… and I think that’s what we’ve missed obviously the past two years… I think everybody could tell you on the defensive side everybody was so afraid of being the one to make the mistake instead of just actually going out there and playing.”
The Giants ranked 21st and 23rd, respectively, last season in terms of yards and points allowed per game last season – something McKinney will look to help the team improve on moving forward, and which could be made easier with a new voice on the sidelines. Graham is now the Raiders’ DC.
Here are some other notes concerning Big Blue:
- Earlier this week, the Giants placed offensive tackle Matt Gono on the exempt/left squad list due to an undisclosed injury. It turns out that the neck injury which caused that absence is likely to end his career (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). The 26-year-old missed all of last season after having neck surgery, so the return of symptoms in practice would make it challenging for him to make his way back onto the field. Scheduled to be the Giants’ swing tackle, his absence could lead to a larger role for 2020 third-rounder Matt Peart, or require the team to find a depth option in free agency.
- Staying on the theme of offensive lineman, Korey Cunningham will try to earn a roster spot at his natural position, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic (subscription required). The previous coaching staff experimented with a move to tight end for the six-foot-six, 305-pounder, but the new regime led by Brian Daboll will keep him as an o-linemen. The absence of Gono could help him secure a place at the backend of the roster.
- Earlier this week, Duggan also relayed (on Twitter) that quarterback Daniel Jones and left tackle Andrew Thomas received roster bonuses of $3.2MM and $2.7MM, respectively. 2022 is seen as a make-or-break year for Jones, whose fifth-year option was declined, whereas Thomas could make that same decision easier on the team with a strong performance this campaign.
NFL COVID List Updates
We are trying our best here at Pro Football Rumors to keep up with all of the updates throughout the league concerning players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. A lot of teams had high hopes during today’s testing as they were trying to get players activated in time for Sunday’s slate of games.
Here are updates as of 8:30 PM ET, Sat 12/18:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chris Westry, WR Sammy Watkins
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Derrick Brown
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Eddie Goldman
- OC Bill Lazor, DC Sean Desai, STC Chris Tabor in COVID-19 protocols
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Takkarist McKinley
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T James Hudson
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Trysten Hill, DT Osa Odighizuwa
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB P.J. Locke
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Ifeatu Melifonwu, DB Bobby Price, DB Tracy Walker
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Jonathan Greenard, G Lane Taylor
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Zaire Franklin
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Antwaun Woods
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Darrell Henderson, CB Donte Deayon, TE Brycen Hopkins, OL Alaric Jackson, OLB Justin Hollins
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Joseph Noteboom, CB Robert Rochell
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Jevon Holland
Minnesota Vikings
- Four Coaches in COVID-19 protocols
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Xavier McKinney
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Folorunso Fatukasi, Practice Squad LB Noah Dawkins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Breshad Perriman
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Jonathan Allen, DE James Smith-Williams, DE Casey Toohill, DE Montez Sweat
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR A.J. Green, TE Demetrius Harris
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: TE Sean McKeon
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Hardy Nickerson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR JJ Koski, LB Christian Rozeboom
- Designated for Return: DB Darious Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): DE Jonah Williams
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Saquon Barkley, S Xavier McKinney
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated for return: K Robbie Gould, TE George Kittle
Giants Activate S Xavier McKinney From IR
Second-round rookie Xavier McKinney looks set to make his Giants debut Sunday. The Alabama product is now on New York’s active roster after a Saturday activation from IR.
McKinney suffered a broken foot in August, and the Giants ended Logan Ryan‘s lengthy free agency stay soon after. Both should be in uniform Sunday. The Giants also activated linebacker Tae Crowder from IR.
The Giants have McKinney lined up as a presumptive long-term replacement for Landon Collins, another second-round pick out of Alabama. Ryan is on a one-year contract, and Jabrill Peppers is signed through 2021 on a guaranteed-for-injury-only fifth-year option. Saturday’s move could allow Ryan to play more at cornerback, though McKinney will likely be eased into action.
Despite the Giants cutting 2019 first-round cornerback DeAndre Baker and doing little to address their edge-rushing need this offseason — a deficiency compounded by the team trading Markus Golden in October — Patrick Graham‘s defense has played well, all things considered. The Giants, who remain in playoff contention despite having the NFC’s second-worst record, rank 12th in points allowed this season.
NFC East Notes: Giants, Cowboys, Parks
The Giants are planning for Logan Ryan to help at cornerback and safety. Joe Judge confirmed Ryan will play multiple spots, and Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes the former Patriots and Titans cornerback is expected to work in a hybrid safety-slot corner capacity (subscription required). Ryan played just 22 snaps at safety — as opposed to 855 in the slot — last season, but late in his free agency stay he began to market himself as a safety. Ryan’s 113 tackles last year led all cornerbacks and would have ranked fifth among safeties. Giants DC Patrick Graham was with the Patriots during three of Ryan’s four New England seasons. Second-round pick Xavier McKinney was set to play this role, but the Alabama product suffered a broken foot. McKinney had surgery late last month and is expected to miss at least two months. But he may well return to team with Ryan later this season.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- Shifting to another team’s safety situation, the Cowboys did not view Ha Ha Clinton-Dix as a starter, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Instead of keeping the seventh-year veteran around as a backup, Dallas cut bait. Darian Thompson is expected to start alongside Xavier Woods, but Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie, Daryl Worley and rookie Reggie Robinson could see time there if necessary. The Cowboys could recoup $1MM if Clinton-Dix signs elsewhere via the offset language in his contract, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.
- Players like Josh McCown, Johnathan Cyprien, Dion Jordan and Matt Moore accepted jobs on teams’ practice squads in recent days. But Jon Halapio did not want to play such a role. The veteran center declined a spot on the Giants‘ P-squad, Duggan tweets. The Giants brought Halapio back last week but cut him Saturday. Halapio, who worked out for the Texans last month, is healthy after suffering an Achilles tear in Week 17. Halapio began the past two seasons as the Giants’ first-string center; he started 15 games last season.
- Aldon Smith collected a $100K bonus from the Cowboys, per Archer. That brings his total in 2020 roster bonuses to $440K. Smith, who has not played since the 2015 season, agreed to a $910K base salary that pays out just more than $40K in per-game roster bonuses. If Smith were to reach eight sacks, he would collect $500K, Archer adds. For 10 sacks, the former All-Pro would receive a $1MM bump. In the event of a less likely 14-sack season, that total rises to $2MM.
- The Eagles placed Will Parks on IR on Sunday. The veteran safety suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out up to six weeks, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. This year, teams can activate players off IR after just three missed games. Though, Parks’ timetable may run into October. The Eagles signed the former Bronco in March.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/20
Here are Sunday’s minor moves. The players who landed on injured reserve are eligible to come off teams’ respective lists after three weeks. For 2020, teams can also activate an unlimited number of IR players — as opposed to the two-man max of 2019.
Atlanta Falcons
- Claimed (from Washington): T Timon Paris
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed (from Dolphins): G Deion Calhoun
- Signed: CB Torry McTyer
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Cowboys): DE Joe Jackson
- Claimed (from Bills): DT Vincent Taylor
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR Ventell Bryant
- Signed: CB C.J. Goodwin, LB Justin March-Lillard
- Released: LB Joe Thomas
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: T Brent Qvale, LS Jon Weeks
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed (from Eagles): TE Noah Togiai
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed (from Giants): LB Ryan Connelly
New York Giants
- Claimed (from Chiefs): T Jackson Barton, S Adrian Colbert
- Claimed (from Browns): WR Damion Ratley
- Waived: S Sean Chandler, OL Chad Slade
- Placed on IR: LB David Mayo, S Xavier McKinney
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed (from Lions): RB Jason Huntley
- Placed on IR: S Will Parks, WR Quez Watkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: J.J. Nelson
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed (from Titans): LB D’Andre Walker
- Waived: DB Linden Stephens
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: C A.Q. Shipley
Giants’ Xavier McKinney Suffers Broken Foot
Giants rookie safety Xavier McKinney fractured the fifth metatarsal on his left foot, per a club announcement. The second-round pick out of Alabama will undergo surgery on Wednesday afternoon and he’s likely to miss at least a couple months of action.
McKinney was expected to be a contributor in the Giants’ secondary, serving as the understudy to Julian Love at free safety. Instead, he’ll likely start the year on injured reserve before, hopefully, rejoining the club down the stretch.
Like Landon Collins in 2016, the Giants used an early second-round pick to draft McKinney out of Alabama. The standout Crimson Tide safety was on the first-round radar, starting for the past two seasons and registering 95 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions in 2019. He represents a key long-term piece alongside contract-year safety Jabrill Peppers.
This represents another major blow to a Giants secondary already without 2019 first-round pick DeAndre Baker, who currently resides on the commissioner’s exempt list. The Giants ranked 31st in pass-defense DVOA last season and did not make a concerted effort to upgrade their edge rush. These setbacks will make it difficult for the team to excel in this department, even considering the team’s pricey James Bradberry addition.
Several experienced veteran safeties are on the market, though the Giants do not profile as the kind of team who would win an Earl Thomas pursuit at this juncture. In addition to the recently released All-Pro, Eric Reid, Tony Jefferson, Reshad Jones and Clayton Geathers are available. The Giants did not re-sign 36-year-old Antoine Bethea, who started 16 games for them last season.
The Giants also lost linebacker David Mayo, who will go under the knife following a meniscus tear in his left knee. Luckily, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Mayo will just need a meniscus trim rather than a full repair, so he should be able to return in about three weeks (Twitter link). The sixth-year defender started a career-high 13 games for the Giants last season, making 82 tackles.