Giants' Leonard Williams might not miss Cowboys game
Leonard Williams #99 of the New York Giants reacts against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife on Sunday, Sept 18, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey Credit: Mike Stobe
The results of an MRI on Leonard Williams’ injured right knee Monday were “better than it could be,” coach Brian Daboll said, indicating the defensive lineman suffered no long-term structural damage to the joint. As for whether Williams will be able to play Monday night against the Cowboys and extend his career-long streak of consecutive games played to 115, Daboll was uncertain and called him “day-to-day.”
“He said he feels a lot better than he did [Sunday],” Daboll said. “He’s walking around. We’ll take it how we normally do with these things.”
Unlike Sunday, when the Giants tried to play with more speed and defensive backs than down linemen against the Panthers, they are likely to want more beef up front against the Cowboys. If Williams is unable to play, it could mean more snaps for backups Justin Ellis and D.J. Davidson. If outside linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari are healthy enough to make their season debuts, it also could free up Jihad Ward to move to more of a true line position, which is what he did at times Sunday.
Ideally, though, Williams will be able to play. There were doubts about his availability last year when he suffered a triceps injury late in the season, but he kept playing even though the Giants were in meaningless games. Now the Giants are 2-0 and opening their division slate. Williams surely won’t want to miss this game.
The Giants won’t want him to miss it either.
Said Daboll: “Hopefully he’s a fast healer.”
Notes & quotes: Jaylon Smith, a former Cowboys linebacker who started two games for the Giants last season as a December roster addition, signed back with the Giants’ practice squad Monday, according to his agent. Smith joins a position group that has very little game experience behind Tae Crowder. He had 19 tackles and a sack in four games for the Giants last year . . . The Giants were impressed by the play of rookie Dane Belton in his first NFL game after returning from a collarbone fracture in training camp. “It was good to have him out there,” Daboll said. “I thought he played fast.” He made a fast impact on the game, too, recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff. “Oh my gosh,’’ fellow safety Julian Love said, “that’s quite the start to a career.”
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.
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