You can take one hit and bounce back up. Maybe you have to peel yourself off the mat after the second blow. The third is often a knockout.
That's what the New York Giants have experienced on the injury front this season. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, starting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is now out for the season with what was initially expected to be a minor shoulder injury.
After losing Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns to season-ending injuries, it seemed like the G-Men had bounced back enough to compete for a division title and their first playoff appearance in years. They may not be able to come back from this hit.
Giants' Tremaine Edmunds set to miss the season with shoulder injury
Yes, every NFL team has to deal with injuries. But the set of injuries that the Giants have sustained this year feels so specifically targeted at the load-bearing players on this roster.
Obviously, losing your starting quarterback for the season is going to have a seismic impact, especially for a QB with such a specific skill set. Matt Nagy built the offense around Dart and had to completely adjust when the quarterback went down.
The ace pass-rusher in Burns might be the next-worst player to lose. He led the team in sacks last season and was a huge part of what they do.
To then lose the middle linebacker you brought in to fix the run defense is almost unthinkable. Edmunds had played every snap for Dennard Wilson's defense. He was the central figure in how the unit operated. After losing him, it's hard to picture how this defense will function moving forward.
Tremaine Edmunds injury pushes Micah McFadden into the spotlight
As brutal as the Edmunds injury is, the Giants still have a game to play on Sunday against the Houston Texans. They're still fighting for that division title, even if the path just got a bit murkier.
With Edmunds out, Micah McFadden will step up as a starter next to rookie Arvell Reese. McFadden is a capable linebacker and even held a starting job in 2025 before missing the season with an injury. He's hardly played this season, but he'll suddenly have to fill a major role now.
Zaire Barnes will aid McFadden in filling in for Edmunds. He only has three defensive snaps under his belt this season, but he was excellent in the preseason and has the coverage chops to unleash Reese as a blitzer. Even rookie Jack Kelly may get some run on defense now that the group has become thinner.
There's no clear way to replace Edmunds, but Wilson will have to try his best by cobbling the rest of the linebacker group together.
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