The NY Giants will have Victor Cruz out with a calf injury for their preseason game on Saturday and this comes as fellow wide receiver Rueben Randle is also out for Eli Manning, while Odell Beckham Jr. is healthy and could play after dealing with a sore hamstring earlier in camp.
The Giants have Cruz coming back from a serious knee injury and after missing out on the first preseason game, it looks like he will be out again. According to ESPN NY, Cruz is dealing with a calf injury and likely will not play against the Jaguars on Saturday night. Tom Coughlin called the injury "minor" and while Cruz will be out for the game Saturday, he is expected to be ready for the start of the season for the Giants.
Ohm Youngmisuk at ESPN New York reports that Rueben Randle has been dealing with a knee issue and has been out of practice. Randle is expected to be back soon and Coughlin said that Beckham was practicing and did not have any major issues with his hamstring. Randle is a key player for the Giants, as Cruz is coming back from a knee injury and could possibly be hampered, while Beckham is going to get a ton of attention from defenses after the season he had last year.
Randle can be that sleeper third option that the Giants have been able to use well in the past, including with names like Steve Smith and Mario Manningham. Randle has shown a lot of potential, but he has also had some issues adjusting to the NFL and he put up career numbers last season and the Giants want that to continue. The knee issue is not considered serious by the Giants, but Randle had to leave the preseason opener and he could be out for this game.
Randle comes in after putting up 71 catches last season for 938 yards and three touchdowns, but Tom Coughlin said Randle could be even better this year. Randle had some issues with routes and dropped balls last year and this fourth season could be a make or break year for the WR. Having Randle healthy and productive will only help Manning, Beckham and Cruz in the offense and could make for a very potent unit for the Giants.
Last season the team implemented a new system from offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and Manning really took to it, putting up some of the best numbers of his career. Year two should be even better and it comes after Manning threw for 30 touchdowns, cut his interceptions in half from 2013 and set a career high with a 63 percent completion rate. Cruz said that he is ready to get back on the field and while the calf injury is an issue now, his knee has been recovering well and Cruz expects to play in Week 1. Cruz said he is "100 percent" and ready to play this season.
