Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson leaves practice following ankle injury
Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson performs field drills during a joint NFL football practice with the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP/Steven Senne
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Giants may be dealing with the first major setback to their stacked secondary after starting cornerback Adoree’ Jackson left Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury. The free agent acquisition will undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury. NFL Network reported that there was "significant swelling" to the joint.
The injury occurred late in practice when Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw a pass for Jakobi Meyers near the front pylon of the end zone. Jackson and Meyers went up for the ball, Meyers came down with the catch, but both players tumbled to the ground and were hurt on the play. Meyers limped off to be handled by Patriots trainers while the Giants’ medical staff helped Jackson off the field.
The Giants signed Jackson this offseason to provide stability at the cornerback spot opposite Pro Bowler James Bradberry. With Jackson out, the Giants had rookie Rodarius Williams playing with the starters. Other options for them if they have to move forward without Jackson for a while could be Sam Beal, Madre Harper, Josh Jackson and Keion Crossen. Darnay Holmes is also an option but has been working mostly in the slot this camp.
Rudolph returns
Kyle Rudolph (foot) participated in his first practice with the Giants after he passed his physical and was removed from PUP on Wednesday. The veteran tight end said it felt "damn good" to be back on the field after undergoing surgery in the spring, even though he was limited to individual drills. As for his chances of being ready for the opener on Sept. 12, Rudolph declined to make any predictions. "You eat an elephant one bite at a time," Rudolph said, noting that is one of his favorite sayings. "If I look at it as 'the opener is two and a half weeks from now and how am I going to be ready to play in a game,' I’ll never get there. But if I just take each day at a time, I’ll be happy."
Giant steps
Daniel Jones said the Giants had an "up and down" day, which was a generous way of saying the Patriots generally got the better of them in almost every drill. That happened last week in joint practices against the Browns and the Giants rebounded the second day to play much better. Jones said he hopes the same happens again this week . . . Three Giants players left the field with what appeared to be heat-related issues during the midday practice in temperatures near 90: Jabrill Peppers, Darius Slayton and Corey Clement . . . After the workout the Giants ran sprints up "the hill" at the Patriots’ facility, a grassy incline next to the practice field where New England does its conditioning. TE Evan Engram said he hadn’t done that since pee-wee football. Joe Judge has been trying to have such a hill installed at the otherwise flat Giants facility since his arrival last year.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
