The Giants will need to replace one of their key defenders, as head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Nick Powell of the Star-Ledger, that cornerback Prince Amukamara suffered a torn biceps during last night’s game. The 25-year-old will require surgery, meaning his 2014 season is over. “We’ve lost a player or two in each game, it seems like,” said Coughlin. “That’s not a good one. Prince was playing well. He did a very nice job tonight and that was a blow to lose him.”
Amukara, a 2011 first-round pick, was in the middle of what was probably his best season to date. He’s started all eight games for New York, registering 37 tackles and three interceptions. The Nebraska product graded as the 20th-best cornerback in the league among 109 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he’s allowed the sixth-best passer rating against (58.2). The Giants picked up Amukara’s fifth-year option for 2015, which entitles him to $6.898MM in injury-guaranteed base salary; if he can’t pass a physical due to his injury when the new league year begins, he’ll be locked into that money.
Fellow defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is also dealing with injuries, and though he can still play, the Giants will need Zackary Bowman, Jayron Hosley, and Chandler Fenner to step up in Amukamara’s absence. The club will have an open roster spot once Amumakara is placed on IR, and one would guess that practice squad CB Bennett Jackson is a candidate for promotion given the health concerns in New York’s secondary.