Key New York Giants Who Must Fully Rebound from the Injured Reserve List

With all apologies to the New England Patriots, there’s nothing that takes the air out of a football season more than injuries.

Yes, that nasty yet invisible little bug is a real dilemma for NFL teams and in particular the New York Giants, who lost 22 players to the injured reserve list in 2014.

So as the Giants look to rebuild from a disastrous 6-10 season, the game plan—at least what general manager Jerry Reese and co-owner John Mara outlined for reporters in their respective year-end press conferences—is not to go crazy in free agency but rather hope to get back a number of those players they lost to injury to mix in with another solid draft class and a smattering of new faces.

Here’s a look at three key Giants players placed on season-ending injured reserve whose return to their pre-injury state is vital for the team's success in 2015.   

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WR Victor Cruz

If you thought Odell Beckham Jr. made the passing offense looked sick, imagine what the tandem of Beckham and Victor Cruz might offer.

Then again, if you’re an opposing defensive coordinator whose team is scheduled to face the Giants in 2015, maybe it’s better that you don’t ruin your offseason.

With a healthy Cruz in the lineup, defenses will have to pick their poison regarding whom to double cover. If Cruz can get back to where he was prior to his injury, he, like Beckham, can provide some serious downfield firepower.

The issue though with Cruz is that of those who landed on injured reserve, his injury is believed to be the most serious, at least that’s how Jerry Reese presented the scenario in his year-end press conference with reporters, when at one point he compared Cruz’s situation to running back David Wilson’s the year prior.

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It is a significant injury that he has. You never know how he is going to come back from that. We are hoping that he is definitely going to come back and be the Victor Cruz that we know. You never know with the significant injury he had. We are hopeful that he will come back and be the Victor Cruz that we like, but you never know.

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So where is Cruz in his recovery? When he spoke to reporters at the end of December, he mentioned that teammates who had gone through a similar injury weren’t able to begin running until about six or seven months into the rehab, which would mean he would start running sometime in mid- to late May.

However, running straight ahead and cutting are two different things, so it’s unlikely Cruz will do that until he continues to build up the strength in that knee.

In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if he begins training camp on the physically unable to perform list, especially if the Giants plan to take things slow with one of their top receivers.

(For the latest on Cruz and his recovery, check out his update on his progress in B/R’s latest “Uninterrupted” video feature.)

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CB Prince Amukamara

Right up until an unfortunate bicep injury ended his season in Week 9, cornerback Prince Amukamara was having a Pro Bowl-type season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Amukamara’s 58.2 NFL rating was the seventh-best in the league among cornerbacks who had taken 75 percent or more of their team’s defensive snaps. That mark, in fact, was better than Seattle Seahawk Richard Sherman’s 71.3 rating at the time.

In coverage, Amukamara, who probably benefitted from having Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the other side, allowed just 59.1 percent of the passes thrown at him to be completed for 373 yards.

He didn’t give up any touchdowns, tying him for first with Jason McCourty of the Tennessee Titans, Jimmy Smith of the Baltimore Ravens, Chris Harris Jr. of the Denver Broncos and Vontae Davis of the Indianapolis Colts.

Amukamara also picked off three passes in that nine-week stretch of the season, tying him for fourth with Antonio Cromartie of the Arizona Cardinals, Corey White of the New Orleans Saints and Robert Alford of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Giants now face an interesting decision regarding Amukamara. Back in May, the team exercised the fifth-year on the cornerback’s rookie deal; however, according to Over the Cap, he will have a $6.898 million base salary, the second-highest base salary on the team behind quarterback Eli Manning’s $17 million.

With the Giants needing to address some of their upcoming free agents, there is no way they can allow Amukamara to go into next season with that kind of cap figure.

Expect the two sides to work out a multiyear deal in which Amukamara’s first-year base salary will probably hover at or near the minimum for a player entering his fifth year of NFL service ($760,000, according to the NFL CBA, Article 26, Section 1: Minimum Salaries). 

As for where Amukamara is in his rehab, on the day after the season ended, he told reporters he thought there was a chance he might be ready for the start of OTAs, which begin in May (the team’s offseason strength and conditioning program commences on April 20).

“By March, should be the time I can start curling,” he said. “Right now my arm feels well and as soon as I start doing push-ups and curls, it will build back some strength into it.”

Amukamara will probably be limited during OTAs, but he should be fully recovered in time for training camp. 

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 OL Geoff Schwartz

The Giants had high hopes for offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, one of their top unrestricted free-agent signings last winter. The hope was his skill set would finally give them a powerful run-blocking offensive line.

It was not meant to be, however, as a nagging toe injury landed Schwartz on the temporary injured reserve list. He returned to action in Week 12, but his stay on the active roster was short-lived as he suffered a season-ending ankle injury the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Going back to 2013, Schwartz’s last full season in the league, he proved to be a solid run-blocker, something that was missing from the offensive line. Per Pro Football Focus, Schwartz finished with a 10.5 run-blocking grade working at mostly right guard for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite his abbreviated 2014 season—he took just 93 snaps on offense, per PFF—Schwartz finished with a 4.0 run-blocking grade. To put those grades into perspective, 44 of Schwartz’s 93 snaps just so happened to come on running plays. 

As for where he is in his rehab, Schwartz told Armen and Levack of 104.5 The Team that his rehab is “right on schedule” and he was confident he’d be back for training camp and possibly “some of the OTAs.”

All player grades and stats via Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted. All salary information from Over the Cap unless otherwise sourced.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.