New York Giants Place Tight End Daniel Fells On IR

The New York Giants have a good weekend, defeating the Buffalo Bills and moving to 2-2 on the season. But, it was not all positive, as the Giants also learned that they will be without tight end Daniel Fells for the remainder of the season. Fells was placed on season ending IR today because of a staph infection.

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Fells had missed Week 2 and Week 4 because of what the team was calling an ankle injury. The Giants said that Fells, “was being treated for a chronic ankle condition. During the evaluation process, it was discovered that he has a staph infection, which required treatment, and he will be placed on injured reserve.”

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While many people will brush this loss off as Fells is technically a backup according to the depth chart, but this is a big loss for the Giants. Fells was the most reliable blocking tight end that the Giants had, so their already unproductive run game will find it even more difficult to find holes to run through now.

In addition to what he brings as a blocker, Fells was also the most experienced player the Giants had at tight end by far. His 114 receptions are more than the rest of the players the Giants have on their roster combined, as the other three players have combined for only 84 receptions. This will leave the Giants extremely inexperienced at an important position in their offense from a blocking standpoint and as a safety valve for Eli Manning.

Also, Fells’ backup, Jerome Cunningham, hasn’t been able to play since Week 2. The Giants were already shorthanded at the position because of that, waiting out Cunningham’s injury to see the severity before making a roster move. Well, now their hand will be forced in terms of making a roster move, as they are left with only two healthy tight ends; Larry Donnell and Will Tye, who is a local product from Stonybrook University and made his NFL debut against the Bills after being promoted from the practice squad.

With just two healthy tight ends on the roster the Giants were already walking a tightrope. Now knowing that Fells will not be returning, the Giants will probably have to turn to the free agent wire for help. One player to keep an eye on is former Washington Redskins tight end/H-back Chris Cooley. He was one of a handful of veterans that worked out for the Giants last week, including former Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and Wes Welker. Expect the Giants to bring more tight ends in for workouts this week as they will have to bring in someone for some added depth.

The Giants will be hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 5. They have struggled mightily throughout the season and are below average in both defending the pass and run. The game plan will probably be very similar to what it was against the Bills, as the Giants will need more time to get a tight end up to speed with their schemes and playbook.

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