Giants WR Calvin Austin Carted Off With 'Serious Knee Injury' at Practice

The New York Giants just cannot have nice things in August. Wide receiver Calvin Austin III was carted off the practice field on Tuesday with what Adam Schefter is already calling a "serious knee injury."

Getting carted off in late August is the universal sign that a player's season is in jeopardy before it even starts. For a Giants offense desperately trying to figure out its identity, losing a speedster who just arrived in free agency is a brutal blow.

"Adam Schefter reported that a source described it as a 'serious knee injury.'"

Austin spent his first few years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, putting up 372 yards and three touchdowns last season before signing with New York. He was supposed to be the field-stretching safety valve for a receiver room that already watched Darius Slayton undergo core-muscle surgery this spring.

Relying on NFL training camp reports is usually like trusting a weather app in a hurricane, but the phrase "serious knee injury" leaves zero room for optimism. It is the kind of update that makes fantasy managers instantly close their laptops and sends oddsmakers scrambling to adjust New York's early-season offensive props.

Austin is unfortunately no stranger to the rehab room, having missed his entire 2022 rookie campaign with a Lisfranc sprain. Just three days ago, the Giants were cruising through a 26-3 preseason win over the Miami Dolphins, and now they are staring down a massive hole on their depth chart.

We are waiting on the official MRI results, but the front office needs to start looking at the waiver wire immediately. If Austin is done for the year, New York's remaining receivers are going to see a lot more double coverage when Week 1 finally rolls around.