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Beckham Done for Season; Receiving Corps in Shambles

Injuries to Beckham, Marshall, Shepard, and Harris Have Left the Giants’ Receiving Corps in Shambles

It seemed impossible that the New York Giants 2017 season could get any worse. Then the game against the Los Angeles Chargers happened, where the team lost it’s top four receivers due to injury.

Odell Beckham Jr.

The biggest injury came to star receiver Odell Beckham Jr, who fractured his left ankle late in the Sunday matchup. While going for a catch, Beckham rolled his ankle after being covered by Chargers corner Casey Hayward.

The Giants announced that Beckham will have surgery on his ankle this week, effectively ending his season. However, there is no official timeline for his eventual return, as the team will know more once the surgery is performed by Dr. James Andrews.

This new stings for the Giants, who fell to an 0-5 record this past Sunday, as the window for a potential Super Bowl run has officially closed. Now with Beckham out of the picture, the outlook for the remainder of the season looks grim. With their best athlete now done for the season, it might be best for New York to look towards next season.

Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall also left this Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. The 12-year veteran announced on his Instagram account that he is having season-ending ankle surgery on Tuesday. The original belief was that Marshall suffered a high ankle sprain and that he could miss, “multiple weeks,” according to Kimberly Jones of NFL Network.

While going for a catch heading out of bounds, Marshall had his left ankle inadvertently stepped on by Chargers corner Trevor Williams.

The addition of Brandon Marshall brought some excitement to New York, especially pairing up with the likes of Beckham. However, it remained just that, hype. Marshall has failed to live up to expectations, as he does not appear to be on the same page as Eli Manning.

Although a non-factor this season, Marshall’s presence will be missed by the Giants.

Sterling Shepard

Sterling Shepard left Sunday’s game with a similar injury to the one he suffered in training camp this past August. That injury was a high ankle sprain, but was not a serious one. That is exactly what an MRI concluded.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports that Shepard is considered day to day with said injury, which is a blessing for the Giants. With matchups looming against the tough defenses of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, Shepard’s presence could lessen the blow.

Dwayne Harris

Dwayne Harris, the Giants No. 4 receiver on the depth chart, could not escape the injury bug either. Harris, New York’s kick return specialist, injured his foot on a kickoff, requiring a cart to take him off the field.

The injury was later confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter as a broken foot. Specifically, the return-man suffered a fracture in his fifth metatarsal. Harris will undergo surgery this week, thus ending his season.

Finding a good kick returner is hard in the NFL, and the Giants will have to do that now that Harris and Beckham are done for the year.

Who Steps Up?

With the injuries to their top four receivers, Roger Lewis is the team’s de facto No. 1 receiver on the depth chart.

The Giants re-signed receiver Tavarres King to the roster, as well as signing Travis Rudolph off the practice squad. It is unknown if the team will bring in any other receivers, especially with Shepard’s injury being minor.

What is a given is that the Giants outlook for the remainder of the season looks rather bleak. Not only that, but use this time to evaluate talent in preparation for next season.

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General Editor and New York Giants Lead Writer.
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