The New York Giants have placed running back Shane Vereen and backup quarterback Ryan Nassib on the injured reserve.
The New York Giants are mere weeks away from the beginning of the 2017 NFL Playoffs. At 10-4 with work left to do in order to clinch either the NFC East or a wildcard, the Giants will need all hands on deck for this critical push for the postseason.
Unfortunately, two players were placed on injured reserve due to lingering issues that couldn’t be overcome.
Before anyone loses their mind, star cornerback Janoris Jenkins was not one of the players placed on injured reserve. He suffered a scary back injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 15, but didn’t suffer severe enough damage to be ruled out for the season.
Thrilling as it is to know that Jenkins will be available, it’s equally as heartbreaking to know that running back Shane Vereen will not be.
"Shane re-injured his triceps. It's unfortunate. He worked his tail off to get back to where he was." - Coach McAdoo on Shane Vereen
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 19, 2016
Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib will join Vereen on the injured reserve.
Shane Vereen and Ryan Nassib will both have surgery this week, per Coach McAdoo.
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 20, 2016
That’s a crucial turn of events.
Vereen appeared in five games, recording 252 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown. He first injured his triceps in Week 3, which followed his posting 222 yards from scrimmage in a three-game span.
Vereen miraculously came back in Week 14, but suffered a concussion against the Dallas Cowboys and hurt his triceps again against the Detroit Lions.
Without Vereen, running backs Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings will continue to carry a heavy burden in the backfield.
Nassib has been battling an elbow injury throughout the 2016 NFL regular season. By being placed on the injured reserve, some have hypothesized that his Giants career has effectively come to an end with free agency pending.
Josh Johnson will back up Eli Manning for the remainder of 2016 before New York ponders whether or not to re-sign Nassib.
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New York has signed linebacker Ishaq Williams and running back George Winn to take Nassib and Vereen’s respective places on the roster.