The New York Giants will be without Victor Cruz in Week 4 after the wide receiver aggravated his calf injury in practice on Wednesday. The team reportedly worked out free agents Hakeem Nicks and Wes Welker this week and now they could add one of them to the mix with Odell Beckham with Cruz likely unable to play.
Cruz was working his way back from a calf injury suffered in the preseason and according to Pro Football Talk, Cruz had to leave practice on Wednesday due to that injury. The New York Daily News reported that Cruz was working on individual drills and that is when he re-aggravated the injury. Head coach Tom Coughlin said after practice that Cruz "felt the calf again" and he was pulled out of practice. Cruz does not have a timetable for returning and now it's official that he will be out for Week 4. Cruz could be out for a long stretch now, but the Giants will be cautious about getting him back on the practice field from here on out.
Cruz had announced that he was set to make his season debut in Week 4 after dealing with the calf injury, but now his return is in question. The New York Daily News reports that Cruz "may not be back on the field for a while" and that is a big hit for the Giants. The team was hoping that Cruz could return healthy after dealing with serious knee surgery in the offseason, but he has not been able to get back on the field due to the calf injury.
Cruz was making strong progress from his knee injury through the summer and he was getting ready to play in the preseason against the Bengals when the calf injury cropped up. Cruz has been rehabbing and he recently returned to practice and looked like he would be on track to play in Week 4. Now his return has no official timetable and the team may want to be very cautious after this latest setback. Last season Cruz played in six games and had 23 catches before getting seriously injured against the Eagles.
Before the most recent aggravation of the injury, the Giants still were interested in adding a wide receiver, as the team released Preston Parker earlier this season. Parker had five drops over the first couple games and he was let go and according to ESPN.com, the team brought in former Giant Hakeem Nicks and former Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker for workouts.
The team has not yet signed either player, but the team could consider making a move with the latest news on Cruz. Welker has not had much interest on the market all offseason, while Nicks was with the Titans before getting cut. Nicks previously worked out for the Cowboys as well and the Giants could be interested in bringing back their former first round pick on a deal. Last season Nicks had 38 catches for the Colts and that came after he spent his first five years with the Giants.
Check here for more on Cruz and the Giants working out Hakeem Nicks and Wes Welker.
