Will Alvin Kamara even have to break tackles Sunday against a depleted Giants defensive front?
This is shaping up to be an all-hands-on-deck emergency against the Saints.
On the interior of the defensive line, star tackle Dexter Lawrence has already been placed on injured reserve with a dislocated left elbow and will not play again this season.
On Wednesday, another starter on the defensive line, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, did not practice due to a neck injury.
Also on the line, DJ Davidson (shoulder) and Jordon Riley (knee) were limited.
That left the Giants with rookie Elijah Chatman and two practice linemen – Casey Rogers and Elijah Garcia – to take the bulk of the snaps in practice.
Newcomer Cory Durden participated for the first time since being cut from the Rams’ practice squad.
It also doesn’t help that inside linebacker Bobby Okereke had a back issue and didn’t practice.
Okereke has started all 12 games this season and rarely comes off the field. He leads the team with 93 tackles.
If he’s unavailable, Ty Summers, Matthew Adams or rookie Darius Muasau will start.
Another option is Dyontae Johnson, whose practice window opened Wednesday. He should be available to play, if necessary.
Kamara will target this injury-riddled defensive front. He is seventh in the NFL with 894 rushing yards.
The Giants are 29th in the league in run defense, allowing 145.8 rushing yards per game.
The situation is just as dire on the offensive line, with left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) and right tackle Evan Neal (hip) unable to practice.
Veteran backup Chris Hubbard started Thanksgiving at left tackle against the Cowboys.
If Eluemunor and Neal are unavailable, the starting duo will be Hubbard and Josh Ezeudu, which should make life difficult for Drew Lock in his second start for the Giants at quarterback.
Cornerback Deonte Banks (ribs) also did not practice.
Head coach Brian Daboll said any players who haven’t been able to practice should be considered “week-to-week,” which is a concerning prediction, given that “day-to-day” is more to a player’s prognosis. which could be ready in a few days.
“I think they all have a chance, but I think it’s too early to say how optimistic I am,” Daboll said.
Rookie TE Theo Johnson suffered a season-ending Lisfranc foot injury late in the Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys and had surgery Tuesday.
He finished his first NFL season with 29 receptions for 331 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s going to take some time here, which is a shame,” Daboll said. “He was doing a really good job. A great young man. I worked extremely hard. I feel bad for him. Difficult. I mean, he did it towards the end of the game, he kept playing. He didn’t really realize anything was wrong until the game, when he was examined.
