The Giants won’t have inside linebacker Micah McFadden for a while.
He was carted off the field with a foot injury during Sunday’s season-opening loss at the Commanders.
While X-rays showed he didn’t break anything, he will miss “a significant part” of the season and maybe all of it, according to NFL Network. Still, it’s not a lock that this is a season-ending injury, though further testing on McFadden’s foot revealed plenty of bad news.
No matter how you slice it, this comes at a terrible time for McFadden, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick and ascending player who is in a contract year. He became a full-time starter in 2023 and was expected to play a big role in the Giants’ defense, which entered 2025 with high expectations.
Darius Muasau is expected to continue to play next to Bobby Okereke in the second level, as he mans the other inside linebacker spot.
The Giants drafted Muasau in Round 6 last year. He played in 15 games as a rookie, with seven starts, and got 435 defensive snaps. He saw extended action because Okereke was hurt.
McFadden was carted off the field with 7:54 remaining in the first quarter of Week 1. The Giants’ medical staff placed an air cast on his right leg.
It appeared he sustained the lower-leg injury while making a tackle on a 3-yard run by Austin Ekeler.
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Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com.
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