Rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants sustained a knee injury during a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday evening.
The edge rusher was cut-blocked by the Bengals’ Thaddeus Moss and fell while holding his right knee. The incident occurred in the second quarter of the game, near the 20-yard line.
Thibodeaux immediately received medical attention and walked out of the field himself after refusing the cart. Although the initial assessment showed that the injury was not severe, the rookie did not return for the rest of the game.
“I’m all right,” Thibodeaux told reporters as he left the stadium. “I’m good.”
According to Giants head coach Brian Daboll, they immediately did MRI and other tests on the defensive player that night with an intention to do further testing on Monday. Daboll said he could not confirm whether they should omit the possibility of a severe injury until the results came out.
Thibodeaux’s teammate, Dexter Lawrence, said that the rookie was in “a good spirit”.
“I talked to him. He’s walking on it. Said he was fine,” Lawrence said. “Probably something that will just take time to heal a little bit. I don’t really know what it is. I’m not a doctor.”
Thibodeaux at Giants
The Giants selected Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick in the first-round NFL draft pick this season. He previously played college football at the University of Oregon.
During his time at Oregon, Thibodeaux garnered 84 solo tackles, 42 assists, and 19 sacks. In a recent interview, Thibodeaux said he hoped to break Azeez Ojulari’s record by earning more than 8.5 sacks in his rookie year.
Thibodeaux displayed a great performance throughout the Giants’ training camp. Team offensive line coach Bobby Johnson said that Thibodeaux was “a special player”.
“I think he’s got all the tools, obviously that’s why he was picked where he was picked,” Johnson told the New York Post.
“I see a guy who’s hungry, who’s constantly working … and he’s got a magnetic personality, I just see a good team guy that knows his role and is trying to get better every day. I appreciate his humbleness and work ethic.”
Thibodeaux this season has been practicing with the first defense line starting since spring.
Other injuries
In addition to Thibodeaux, wide receiver C.J. Board was also escorted out of the field due to an injury in that game. He was reported to sustain a rib injury.
Before Thibodeaux and Board’s injuries, the Giants had placed 18 players on the injury list. They are lacking players, particularly in their offensive line. Jon Feliciano, Ben Bredeson, and Shane Lemieux were among the offensive players not participating in the team’s recent games.
The Giants also recently terminated Matt Gono’s contract after the offensive lineman sustained a neck injury.
Despite injuries plaguing the team, the Giants triumphed over the Bengals 25-22 in Sunday’s game.
The team will have another preseason game against the New York Jets on August 28 at the Metlife Stadium. Then, they will start the regular season facing the Tennessee Titans on September 11.