Victor Cruz Injury: Updates on Giants Star's Knee and Return

Updates from Thursday, Oct. 16

Victor Cruz thanked his fans for their support and provided an update on his status via a Facebook post he released on Thursday night:

Updates from Wednesday, Oct. 15 

Art Stapleton of The Record provides an update on Victor Cruz's status from Giants head coach Tom Coughlin:

Kimberly Jones of NFL.com has more from Coughlin, who spoke about Cruz's return:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 13

NFL Network's Albert Breer reports that Victor Cruz had surgery today on his knee:

ESPN's Dan Graziano previously had the latest on Cruz's status:

Paul Schwartz of the New York Post has comments from Cruz's surgeon:

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“How well he does depends on a number of factors,’’ Dr. James Gladstone, Co-Chief, Division of Sports Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told The Post on Monday. “He could get back 100 percent, but it’s also possible if he doesn’t get his range of motion … there are a lot of variables that go into being in top form. If for whatever reason those don’t come back then he wouldn’t be.’’

“It’s generally not a common injury,’’ Gladstone said. “It certainly happens and we know a lot about it, but it’s not common.’’

The surgery, Gladstone said, takes 1-2 hours depending on the severity of the tear.

“The idea behind the surgery is to create a whole tendon again,’’ he said. “The surgery is not too bad. It’s really the recovery. You can’t affect biology. You have to let the tendon heal back to bone. It takes a good six weeks for it to heal. That’s just the healing part.’’

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Original Text

Victor Cruz's 2013 season ended in injury. Now, it appears the New York Giants' star receiver will be spending time on the sideline again. 

Cruz suffered a knee injury in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles and now could potentially be out of action for a long time.

The Giants confirmed what sort of injury Cruz suffered:

ESPN's Dan Graziano believes the injury will keep him out of action for quite some time:

Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News both detailed how a cart was needed to take him off the field:

Cruz was looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 campaign this year. He finished last season with 73 receptions for 998 yards and four touchdowns on 123 targets—all career lows—in 14 games and didn't score a single touchdown after Week 4.

But with a new offensive coordinator in town in Ben McAdoo, who instituted a West Coast offense that seemed suited to Cruz's skill set, big things were expected from the receiver in 2014. Cruz was certainly optimistic he was going to have a big year in 2014, as he told Don Banks of SI.com in late July:

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Manning’s go-to receiver, Victor Cruz, said he believes he could catch 100 passes and top 1,500 yards, with at least 10 touchdowns, in the Giants’ new West Coast-style offense. Having three Giants receivers with between 60-80 receptions is plausible, Cruz said, and Manning will benefit from no longer having to take so many deep drops on downfield pass plays that were slow-developing, challenging New York’s offensive line in pass protection and leading to some of the punishment the quarterback absorbed last year.    

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Depending on how long Cruz is out of action, it could be difficult to reach those lofty goals.

Cruz has been a beast for the Giants since joining the team in 2011, catching at least 80 passes, registering at least 1,000 receiving yards and scoring at least nine touchdowns in his first two seasons with the team. When he's healthy—and the Giants offense isn't falling apart around him, like in 2013—he's one of the most dynamic receivers in the game. 

His salsa touchdown celebration has become one of the most iconic celebrations in the NFL, after all. 

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

But for at least the foreseeable future, Cruz will have to salsa from the sideline. In his absence, the Giants will need young players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle to step up their game and provide Eli Manning consistency in the passing attack. 

If the pair can't replace Cruz's production, the Giants are going to be in major trouble as long as he remains unable to play. The sooner they can get that salsa back on the field, the better.