New York Giants wide receiver Collin Johnson tore his Achilles tendon during a Wednesday practice session. The injury ended his season before it even started.
Prior to the injury, coach Brian Daboll said he was impressed with the player’s performance, noting that Johnson and fellow wide receiver David Sills made a strong impression on him. In the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Johnson recorded three receptions for 41 yards while Sills had five catches for 56 yards.
“Collin Johnson, David Sills, they’ve stepped their game up. And they’re right in the mix, not just to make a team but to play,” said Daboll.
Johnson reached a total of 29 catches for 377 yards across 26 career games. He played for the Jacksonville Jaguars before he joined the Giants.
Johnson recently stepped up his performance this summer, earning the trust of starting quarterback Daniel Jones for his plays in training camp. Fans have been expecting Johnson to have the opportunity to start with players like Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney.
Johnson out, Shepard in
Not all is lost for the Giants, however. Veteran WR Shepard recently returned to practice after recovering from a torn Achilles of his own received in December 2021. He is one of the longest-running Giants players. with 349 catches for 3884 yards and 21 touchdowns throughout his six-year career. The athlete’s recovery and return came ahead of the game against the Tennessee Giants in mid-September.
“It felt great, man. Just being back on the field, it’s a blessing. Especially when you go through an injury like that and you’ve been on the sidelines for so long watching those guys get after it,” said Shepard.
“You have to take every day and cherish them because you never know when you’re going to have to sit out that long.”
Shepard earlier took a $7 million salary cut to continue playing for the Giants.
“I’m happy to be here. I love this place. I love everybody in this building. I’ve been here for seven years now and it’s been a blessing just being here,” said Shepard.
“You hear stories about other places around the league, and there’s no place like here,”
Shepard and Johnson have known each other for a long time, and despite the break in play, Shepard said he was confident that he and Jones would be able to make it work.
“It’s been a while since Daniel and I have actually gotten to throw. Since I’ve been on PUP, I haven’t been able to catch any passes from him. So, we have a rapport, but we have to freshen things up and build that connection back again… we should get back on track pretty easy,” said Shepard.
Toney, Darius Slayton, and C.J. Board are all dealing with minor injuries. They all participated in the early portions of Wednesday’s practice. Toney received his injury during the workout, while Johnson and Marcus Kemp suffered significant injuries during the practice. They have since been placed on the injured reserve.
To deal with the injuries, the Giants claimed wide receivers Bailey Gaither and Jaylon Moore.