More is lost by indecision than the wrong decision, a situation that the New York Giants have found themselves in regarding veteran linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Joe Schoen and John Harbaugh appear committed to having Thibodeaux, the 2022 No. 5 pick, come off the bench in a rotational role. The Giants opted not to trade Thibodeaux this offseason despite reported interest from the Saints.
And while we’re still only days into training camp, it’s quickly becoming apparent that holding on to Thibodeaux was the right move, if only because injuries are already striking defenses leaguewide.
The Giants look brilliant for not trading Kayvon Thibodeaux (yet)
The football gods lack pity even in training camp. Carolina lost edge rusher Nic Scourton to a torn ACL last Friday, and his season is almost certainly already over. The Saints’ Bryan Bresee also suffered a significant knee injury on Wednesday.
Granted, Bresee’s injury would have only meant so much for Thibodeaux had the Saints acquired the latter. Thibodeaux is an edge rusher, whereas Bresee is an interior defensive lineman. It’s not like the Saints would immediately move Thibodeaux to defensive tackle.
The reality is that injuries are unavoidable even in situations designed to avoid injuries. Neither Scourton nor Bresee hurt themselves in a violent 11-on-11 session during the second practice of a two-a-day, as might have been the case two decades ago.
We saw Roy Robertson-Harris and Gunnar Olszewski both sustain likely season-ending Achilles injuries during offseason team workouts. Undrafted rookie cornerback Thaddeus Dixon didn’t even make it to OTAs before tearing his Achilles during rookie minicamp.
So without us trying to speak disaster into the universe, the Giants were smart not to trade Thibodeaux just for the sake of moving on. We’ve said it before, but all it takes is one injury to completely change a player’s career and trajectory.
Thibodeaux isn’t the only player Schoen is taking this approach with, as both Devin Singletary and Jalin Hyatt come to mind. All three are in contract years, and Singletary and Hyatt are both unlikely to play significant roles come Week 1.
None of this is to say that Schoen won’t eventually trade Thibodeaux, and his stock only stands to increase as the injuries pile up. There are far worse rental options than a 25-year-old edge rusher with 23.5 career sacks.
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