The New York Giants' miserable 2024 season got worse on Friday after the team announced that injuries to Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and rookie tight end Theo Johnson would likely spell the end of the season.
Lawrence suffered a dislocated elbow in the third quarter of the Giants' 27-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
Johnson, whose usage has increased recently, appeared to suffer a foot injury late in the game and was upset in the locker room after the game.
Lawrence led the NFL in sacks at times this season (9), but hasn't recorded a single sack since Week 8.
Johnson, a fourth-round pick out of Penn State last April, has appeared in all 12 games, starting 11. He has 29 receptions for 331 yards and one touchdown on 43 targets.
Head coach Brian Daboll said Friday he isn't very “optimistic” that Lawrence will play again this season.
“I would say I expect this to be a long-term injury for the rest of the season,” Daboll said Friday. “I still have a few different things to look at, but I’m not very optimistic.”
Lawrence injured his elbow in a collision with linebacker Bobby Okereke.
“I overextended and Bobby went down and it slipped,” Lawrence said. “I looked at him and said, 'You just slipped my elbow.' And then I thought, 'I wonder if this is what shock feels like.'”
Daboll also said that Johnson's injury was likely long-term and would even end the season.
“We’ll do a few more tests, but I definitely think there’s potential for it,” Daboll said.
Not much has happened for the Giants, who currently have the worst record in the NFL (2-10).
They still have five games left. They play at home against New Orleans and Baltimore, followed by a trip to Atlanta and a home game against Indianapolis before finishing the season in Philadelphia against their old friend Saquon Barkley.