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New York Giants teammates huddled around rookie T.J. Moore after a scary injury during the final preseason outing.
The New York Giants’ blowout victory over the New England Patriots in the preseason finale ended in unfortunate fashion, as rookie defensive back T.J. Moore suffered what multiple NYG beat reporters described as a “gruesome” leg injury.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan was one of them, relaying: “Gruesome leg injury for T.J. Moore, who had an INT for a TD earlier in the game, with 3:49 left in the final preseason game. He was just carted [off] after the entire team went out to offer encouragement.”
Raanan added that the late-game turn of events was “hard to watch.”
The injury was a real shame, especially when you consider that Moore was having a storybook preseason finale with his pick-six earlier in the night.
The Giants and head coach Brian Daboll informed the NYG fanbase that Moore was hospitalized with a plan to have surgery either “today or tomorrow” on August 22. It ended up being the former.
Afterward, The Athletic’s Giants correspondent Dan Duggan relayed a positive injury update on X.
“Moore had successful surgery for a fractured femur today, per source,” Duggan reported on the evening of August 22. “No other damage, so all things considered, not as bad as it could have been. [Cornerback] Paulson Adebo was 100% this spring after fracturing his femur last October.”
Based on that update, it sounds like Moore will miss the entirety of the 2025 season, but the silver lining is that he’s already on the road to recovery. Presumably, the Giants will transfer the promising rookie to the long-term injured reserve at the 53-man deadline.
Giants’ Roster Outlook at Cornerback & Safety After T.J. Moore Injury Update
Moore was a long shot to make the Week 1 roster, but he did show enough to potentially push for a practice squad role before his injury. Instead, the Giants can retain him on the injured reserve for the time being if they choose.
During a post-preseason 53-man roster projection, Duggan predicted that six cornerbacks and four safeties would make the team next Tuesday. They were Adebo, Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips, Cor’Dale Flott, Art Green, Tre Hawkins, Jevon Holland, Tyler Nubin, Dane Belton and Raheem Layne.
“This is the toughest position to sort out,” Duggan admitted, talking about the Giants’ cornerback room. “Having a starting position up for grabs raises the uncertainty. Injuries to both players have stunted the competition between Banks and Flott for the No. 2 cornerback. Banks missed the final two preseason games with an undisclosed injury, while Flott played well after missing the preseason opener.”
“If Banks wins the starting job, Flott could serve as the backup at all three corner spots even though he has exclusively worked on the perimeter this offseason,” the reporter explained. “But if Flott wins the No. 2 corner job, there will be a greater impetus to carry [Nic] Jones as Phillips’ backup in the nickel.”
Beyond that, Duggan chose to keep Green because he’s a “core special teamer,” and he noted that seventh-round draft pick Korie Black could be “stashed” on IR to start the year.
Will the Giants Only Keep 3 Safeties at Roster Cuts?
There was one other scenario that could happen in the Giants’ secondary, per Duggan.
Big Blue could keep seven cornerbacks instead of six, but this would likely require them to drop down to three safeties. If that occurred, Layne would be the safety to miss the cut, with Jones taking his spot.
“Looking at the secondary as a full puzzle, the Giants could carry seven corners and just three safeties,” Duggan wrote. “Jones showed in the finale that he can play safety in a pinch, and he has more special teams value than Hawkins, so he could sneak onto the roster.”
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller
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