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New York Giants May Actually Benefit From Victor Cruz Being Out For Season

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Giants found out that Victor Cruz will be out for the season on Monday afternoon, but it is not a loss that will hurt them. In actuality, it may be a blessing in diguise to not have to worry about when and if Cruz will be returning.

The New York Giants received some bad news on Monday, but news they had to expecting regarding Victor Cruz. It was announced that he will miss the remainder of the season, as he will undergo surgery to repair the calf injury that has plagued him all season long. While this is a blow for the Giants, as he would help improve the offense, it is not a loss they will not be able to overcome. In actuality, this is not a loss that really hurts the Giants much for the stretch run of the season.

Sure, Cruz would have helped the offense, but his biggest impact right now is probably only in game power. Cruz was one of the best slot receivers in the NFL when healthy, but he has not played since Week 6 of 2014. Also, his production was dropping the last two seasons that he played, so there is no guarantee that he would have returned to the level he performed at his first two seasons with the Giants even if he was healthy.

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The patellar tendon tear he suffered last season against the Philadelphia Eagles is enough to end the career of an athlete, so we do not know what he would have looked like coming off that. Add in the fact that he was also dealing with the calf injury, we could have been looking at a Cruz that is a shelf of his old self.

Because of that, the Giants may actually be better off with Cruz sitting out the season. At this point in the year, with 10 games already played, the Giants know what they are. While Cruz could have theoretically helped, there is no guarantee that he would. Finding out could have cost the Giants, as they would have given him a fair chance at playing time to see what he had. But, at the same time, games are extremely important at this point in time, so seeing what a player has in the midst of a division race may not be the most sound strategy.

With Cruz now sidelined, the Giants will not have to worry about that. They no longer have the weekly distraction either about if and when Cruz will return, which will help the team focus on the future. At the same time, the Giants now know what they have, and can continue working towards improving. Dwayne Harris has been a huge upgrade over Preston Parker as the slot receiver, and deserves to continue playing alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle.

Many people lamented the Giants decision to sign Harris, saying he received too much money for just contributing on special teams. He has been great in that area, but is also now making an impact as a receiver, making the Giants look smart for investing in him as they did. He has 25 receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns, which are almost as much as he produced with the Cowboys the first four seasons of his career; he had only 33 receptions for 408 yards and three touchdowns, numbers he will surpass this season alone.

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He has earned the chance at more playing time, along with Myles White. White was signed by the Giants in Week 5 leading up to their game with the San Francisco 49ers, and has been thrust into unexpected playing time. He is someone they liked enough to trust over someone such as Geremy Davis, or Julian Talley on the practice squad, and with Cruz now out they can focus on continuing his development. He caught one of his three targets for 28 yards against the Patriots, but also drew a pass interference call to help keep the drive alive.

In addition, expect the Giants to try and work Shane Vereen more into the gameplan as a slot receiver. With the backfield being as crowded as it is, it would make sense for the Giants to get Vereen on the slot as a receiver more so that Manning has even more weapons around him. It will help open things up and potentially get a run game going that has been stagnant most of the season.

While many people will say losing Cruz for the season hurts, it truly doesn’t. They have had months of practice with him watching from the sideline, so they know how to play without him. Not having to worry about when and if he will come back, they can now focus on growing the roles and improving the skills of players such as Harris and White without thinking in the back of their head how Cruz would eventually fit in.

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That is a thought process for after the season, as the Giants have their set of receivers they will be rolling with the rest of the season. When Cruz is placed on IR, the Giants may bring in a veteran to take his roster spot, but the core players will stay set. Also, the Giants need to prepare because there is no guarantee that Cruz will be back next season, as he has no guaranteed money remaining on his current deal.

Eli Manning may miss his old favorite receiver, but he is in the middle of another strong, potentially career best season. While Cruz may be missed, a lot of that has to do with his name, not his play, as Manning has looked just fine with the weapons he has at his disposal.

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