The New York Giants have officially placed nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and rookie tight end Theo Johnson on injured reserve (IR).
Lawrence suffered a dislocated elbow on Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys when linebacker Bobby Okereke landed on him awkwardly.
Johnson, meanwhile, suffered a foot injury during the same game.
Both players are eligible to return after four games, which would be for a Week 18 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, it’s unlikely that either is activated for a meaningless season-ending contest.
“I think, the reality of it is we’re going to miss him,” linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux said of Lawrence. “But this is going to be a great test and a great evaluation on everybody around him, the back end, the front end. We kind of joked about it as, ‘Dex can’t be the crutch. Dex can’t be our excuse on why we’re playing well or why we’re not playing well.’
“We all kind of got to each step up to the plate, knowing that one of our top guys isn’t there anymore. As far as leadership goes, it’s up to us in the front end and the back end to continue to step up, where he’s now missing.”
With Lawrence joining left tackle Andrew Thomas on IR and quarterback Daniel Jones having been released, the Giants are down to just two team captains — Okereke and long-snapper Casey Kreiter.
With two spots open on their 53-man roster, the Giants filled one by signing defensive tackle Cory Durden off of the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad.
The 6-foot-4, 316-pound Durden signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2023. He was released as a part of final cuts before signing with the Rams.
In four career games, the 25-year-old Durden has recorded three tackles (one solo).
[lawrence-related id=736963,736958,736953]