Tag: Bryce Ford-Wheaton

Giants injury report: Malik Nabers remains in concussion protocol

New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers is at risk of missing his second straight game as he remains in concussion protocol.

The New York Giants took the field on Thursday for their second of three practices ahead of a Week 6 game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium.

With time once again running low, it was a big day for rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and several of the other injured veterans.

A day after doing some work outside with the trainers, Nabers remained sidelined. There has been no change in his status, head coach Brian Daboll revealed.

“The same spot he was in yesterday,” Daboll told reporters.

There was better news on running back Devin Singletary, whom Daboll said was “advancing.”

Meanwhile, offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr. continues to sit out due to an illness.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: WR Malik Nabers (concussion), LB Kayvon Thibodeaux (wrist), OL Jon Runyan Jr. (illness), WR Bryde Ford-Wheaton (shoulder)

Limited participant: RB Devin Singletary (groin), LB Brian Burns (groin), CB Adoree’ Jackson (calf), CB Andru Phillips (calf/shoulder), DL DJ Davidson (shoulder)

Full participant: OL Greg Van Roten (rest)

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Giants’ Isaiah Simmons called his shot days before Seahawks game

The very second the play was added to the New York Giants’ playbook last week, DB Isaiah Simmons knew he was blocking a kick in Week 5.

New York Giants defensive back Isaiah Simmons leaped over the line, splitting two offensive linemen, and managed to get hit feet down and then propel himself back in the air to block a Jason Myers kick.

Game.

It was an incredibly athletic display by Simmons, who called his shot days before the Giants even took off for the West Coast.

“I said today I was going to block a punt or field goal, one of the two. I didn’t know which one, But it was going to be one of them,” Simmons told reporters after the game.

If the Bryce Ford-Wheaton scoop-and-score looked too clean, it’s because that was predicted as well. He was in the precise spot he was supposed to be in knowing Simmons was about to block the attempt.

“I said, be prepared to scoop because it’s getting blocked. See that ball off wherever it hits, just see it off. I promise it’s getting blocked. So just be ready to scoop,” Simmons said. “He was more than ready to scoop from what I’ve seen I’m happy for BFW. Good for him.”

“We didn’t even practice Isaiah jumping over, we just knew he was capable of doing it. Big shout out to him,” Ford-Wheaton said.

The perfectly executed play wasn’t even in the Giants’ playbook until Tuesday of last week. That’s when special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial approached head coach Brian Daboll with the idea and the two settled on Simmons as the perfect player to pull it off.

“I think it was Tuesday Ghobi brought that play up to me. You know, he talked about who he thought would be a good candidate to do the jump. Isaiah came to mind. He executed perfectly,” Daboll said.

“There is risk-reward, because if you get a penalty then it’s first down for the offense. I thought Ghobi did a good job setting up the rush. Called it at the perfect time. Then, you know, Isaiah is over there before the play practicing get-offs and what he’s doing, so he was prepared to go. We had Dexter (Lawrence) in there. Well-executed play. Critical situation.”

Some questioned whether or not there should have been penalties called on Lawrence and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches for using leverage on the back of offensive linemen, but the league confirmed there had been no infraction. Not only did the offensive linemen dive, but both Lawrence and Nacho kept their hands on the nameplates as opposed to the neck or helmet.

On the most important play of the game, the Giants did literally everything to perfection.

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Blocked field goal return seals Giants’ upset of Seahawks

The Giants came up with a huge blocked field goal to seal a win in Seattle

The New York Giants must have decided turnabout is fair play on Sunday.

Having seen a near touchdown turn into a 101-yard fumble return in the first half at Seattle, the Giants blocked a potential game-tying field goal in the final minute to seal a 29-20 victory.

Hanging on to a 23-20 lead, Isaiah Simmons broke through the line to block Jason Myers’ field-goal attempt.

The football caromed to Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who returned it 60 yards for the surprising score.

Giants’ Michael Ghobrial: Adoree’ Jackson is ‘dynamic with the ball in his hand’

New York Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial says veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is a “dynamic” return man.

New York Giants first-year special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial has a lot on his plate with the 2024 NFL season just days away.

Like every other special teams coach around the league, he’s still toying with the new kickoff rules and alignment but Ghobrial has other issues he is focusing on.

First off, his top returner, Isaiah McKenzie, is out for the season with a foot injury and his No. 2 option, Gunner Olszewski, is recovering from a groin injury.

“He’s back there working at it, doing a great job catching the football,” Ghobrial said of Olszewski, who was limited at Wednesday’s practice.

In this Sunday’s season opener, Ghobrial may have to go with recently signed Adoree’ Jackson to return punts against the Minnesota Vikings.

“I’ll never close the door on getting the ball in the playmaker’s hands,” Ghobrial said while calling Jackson “dynamic.”

“He’s back there working at it, and obviously you guys know we only suit up 48 people on game day, so the more position flex, the more versatility a player can have, the better.”

Ghobrial cut right to the chase when defining what he wants to see first and foremost from his returners.

“The biggest thing to me with any returner value is the person has to make sure they can own the football,” he said. “That’s safely securing it because the most telling statistic in terms of winning and losing in this league is turnover margin. So, we want to make sure whoever is back there, that guy is owning the football and making smart decisions to catch it.”

Ghobrial was asked about second-year wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who has emerged as a solid gunner on punts. The Giants kept ‘BFW’ on the 53-man roster over more experienced wideouts due to his play on “teams.”

“I love Bryce Ford-Wheaton, by the way. He’s wired the right way. I think it starts with the mentality. When the mentality is right, the rest of it comes into play,” Ghobrial said. “Obviously, as a receiver, he has a natural feel for being able to get people off the spot. He’s a really good catcher. He gives that possession position flexibility in terms of that.

“Anybody that’s a receiver that’s out there, you’ve got to obviously regard them in terms of coverage. I think the mentality, number one, is awesome because he approaches it like he is going to go win that rep every time. Then again, the experience of him being a receiver also translates in other parts.”

Finally, the issue of placekicker Graham Gano’s rehabilitation from a knee injury that cut his 2023 season in half, came up.

“I’ve seen Graham, the Graham Gano that wins football games in this league,” Ghobrial said. “I’m really excited to see him put pen to paper. He is a proven kicker in this league and I’m fully confident in his ability to go make kicks at any distance.”

The Giants had Northern Irish national Jude McAtamney in camp but released him after Gano proved to be healthy.

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Giants’ Wan’Dale Robinson: Bryce Ford-Wheaton is ‘a freak of nature’

New York Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t think Bryce Ford-Wheaton should be overlooked, calling him a “freak of nature.”

New York Giants second-year wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton was surprised he made the team’s 53-man roster out of training camp this year.

The former West Virginia standout was coming off an ACL injury that cost him his entire rookie season and, with the team importing several new wide receivers this offseason, felt his roster spot wasn’t secure.

The Giants’ fifth receiver spot came down to him, Miles Boykin, Isaiah Hodgins, and veteran Allen Robinson — all big bodies to contrast the other smaller, faster members of the unit. There was only room for one, it seems.

The Giants chose BFW. It was his work as a gunner on special teams, plus his marketability as a 6-foot-3, 230-pound outside receiver that convinced the Giants to keep him on.

On roster cutdown day this past Tuesday, Ford-Wheaton thought for sure he would be taken aside after practice and told the bad news, but it didn’t happen.

“There were like four people standing there, just kind of grabbing people, and nobody grabbed me,” he said, via Giants.com. “They let me walk through. So, I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I made it.'”

He did. Had the Giants released him, Ford-Wheaton may not have made it through waivers. General managers and scouts in this league have long memories. They know he can play. He ran a 4.38 40 at the NFL Combine last year.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen has a long memory, too, it seems. He apparently had no intention of letting BFW walk. The Giants wanted him to rehab his knee in New Jersey, which he did.

This summer, if his knee checked out, he was staying.

Well, Ford-Wheaton’s knee is checking out. He’s played a significant role on teams in the preseason and has also re-established himself as a receiver on offense.

“A lot of time in the offseason was spent here and I’m glad to finally be here for good,” Ford-Wheaton said. “I think versatility might have played a role, especially just on special teams. I think I bring a different kind of aspect to special teams. I think ultimately that’s what got me here.”

Ford-Wheaton hopes to be considered a member of the Giants’ young core of wideouts, which consists of Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt.

Special teams will be BFW’s primary function for the moment but said that he can “go in and do the things that need to be done” on offense.

“I mean, he’s a freak of nature, for real,” Wan’Dale Robinson said. “He’s strong as hell, he’s fast. He can do it all. I’m pretty sure special teams is what they love the most about him, at least right now, but he still brings an added piece to our receiver room. He’s a big body, he can block, strong hands, can go up and get the ball. He’s still developing in the receiver aspect and obviously, all of us are. But I think he’s going to have a really big impact for us.”

The Giants are hoping their core three, plus veteran Darius Slayton, all stay healthy so that BFW is more of a luxury than a necessity on offense.

But it’s good to have depth and talent at such a key position in the NFL these days.

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Trio of Giants receivers injured on Day 1 of minicamp

Three New York Giants wide receivers were injured on Day 1 of mandatory minicamp — one more seriously than the others.

On the first day of mandatory minicamp, the New York Giants saw three players leave the field with injuries: Darius Slayton, Bryce Ford-Wheaton, and Chase Cota.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that Slayton and Ford-Wheaton both walked off the field while Cota was carted off.

Slayton simply slipped while running a route, so his injury is likely minor and he can return to the field quickly. The Giants recently made adjustments to Slayton’s contract as an incentive to keep him with the team.

The other injuries were a bit more significant.

Ford-Wheaton signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in May 2023. He flashed a bit early on but then suffered a season-ending torn ACL, which he’s currently attempting to work his way back from.

Any player being carted off is concerning. Cota entered the NFL on May 12, 2023, when he signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. Since then he made his way through Kansas City and Houston before signing with the Giants in January.

No one wants to see a player get injured, and no matter what time of year it is, it’s never a good time. The Giants are hopeful all three of these players can return to the field sooner than later.

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Giants’ Bryce Ford-Wheaton out for season with torn ACL

The New York Giants have placed rookie WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton on season-ending injured reserve (IR) with a torn ACL.

The New York Giants saw eight players go down with an injury on Saturday night against the New York Jets and only one returned.

Of the other seven, rookie wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton suffered the most significant injury.

Meeting with reporters during a Zoom call on Saturday, Giants head coach revealed that Ford-Wheaton had suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve (IR). He will miss the remainder of the season.

Although Ford-Wheaton was a bit inconsistent as a receiver, he had excelled on special teams. Specifically, he was making his mark as a gunner and had drawn unprompted praise from Daboll, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and general manager Joe Schoen in recent weeks.

“The obvious with Bryce is just size, speed. He’s 6-foot-4, he’s 225 pounds, or 230, whatever he is, and runs 4.40,” Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey told reporters on Wednesday.

“Those measurables are pretty special. Whenever you can get — and with him, he’s a very mature rookie. He goes about his business very professionally, he comes into meetings, he works his tail off, he’s attentive, and he wants to learn. So, when you have those qualities — smart, tough, dependable — and just those physical attributes, he has a really, really big upside, I think.”

Ford-Wheaton was on the fringe for a 53-man roster spot but appeared to have earned his way in. With him now out for the season, the Giants can carry another receive or one less body at the position.

Meanwhile, Daboll said defensive linemen D.J. Davidson and A’Shawn Robinson did not play against the Jets because they weren’t medically ready.

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Giants fall to Jets, 32-24, in Week 3 of preseason: 7 takeaways

The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets in Week 3 of the preseason and here are 7 quick takeaways from the game.

The New York Giants dropped their preseason finale to the New York Jets, 32-24, on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Here are seven takeaways from the final game of their exhibition season.

Giants fall to Jets in preseason finale as injuries pile up

The New York Giants dropped their preseason finale to the New York Jets and lost several players to injury in the process.

The New York Giants faced off against the New York Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in the final preseason game for both teams.

The game held significance in several ways. It was the Jets debut for superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the final game for many young hopefuls on both sides who are competing for roster spots to strut their stuff as final cuts are due Tuesday afternoon.

The Giants, as the ‘home’ team, wore their blue jerseys while the Jets wore all white. Two veterans — wide receiver Sterling Shepard and linebacker Jihad Ward — served as game captains for Big Blue.

Gametime temperature was a balmy 84 degrees with 49 percent humidity and a slight wind of six miles per hour.

7 Giants to watch in Week 3 preseason game vs. Jets

The New York Giants close out the 2023 preseason on Saturday against the New York Jets and these seven players are worth keeping an eye on.

The New York Giants close out their 2023 preseason schedule this Saturday night against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey with roster spots — and some starting roles — still at stake.

Here are seven players to watch in the exhibition finale.