New York Giants

The New York Giants did not have running back Saquon Barkley available for Wednesday's practice.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted the NFC East team placed Barkley and defensive back Xavier McKinney on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Adam Schefter of ESPN added context to the situation and said Tuesday's tests returned 13 positives for the Giants. However, running backs coach Burton Burns was the only positive when they were all retested Wednesday.

Yet Barkley, McKinney and guard Matt Skura missed Wednesday's practice because of protocols.

Barkley has not played since an Oct. 10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys because of an ankle injury. He was also limited to two games last season because he tore his ACL.

The Penn State product has 195 rushing yards, 130 receiving yards and three total touchdowns in five games this year. The Giants are just 2-6 and could use his return to the backfield.

It wasn't long ago that Barkley ran for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons to start his career in 2018 and 2019.

Nick Shook of NFL.com noted that the running back will need to produce two negative tests and be asymptomatic to be eligible to play in Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders because he is vaccinated.

While he may have been trending toward a potential return from the ankle injury, the Giants also have a bye in Week 10 prior to a Week 11 showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That could give Barkley more time to recover for the season's stretch run.         

Amid ongoing injury issues for Michael Thomas, the New Orleans Saints were reportedly looking to upgrade their receiving corps prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. 

Per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, the Saints looked at Darius Slayton from the New York Giants, but the two sides couldn't reach an agreement prior to the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Thomas hasn't appeared in a game for the Saints this season after undergoing ankle surgery during the offseason. He has been on the physically unable to perform list all year. 

Even though Thomas was eligible to return from the PUP list in Week 7, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the receiver is dealing with a new, separate ankle injury that is preventing him from playing. 

It's unclear when Thomas might be able to get back on the field. 

In addition to Thomas' injury, the Saints are in a precarious position at quarterback. Jameis Winston will miss the rest of the year after tearing his ACL and damaging his MCL in Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per Rapoport. 

Trevor Siemian finished the Bucs game after Winston's departure. Taysom Hill is also an option to start, though he's recovering from a concussion suffered in Week 5. The Saints drafted Ian Book in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, but he has yet to appear in a game. 

Slayton did miss three games from Week 4-6 with a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old has been a solid downfield threat for the Giants since being drafted in the fifth round in 2019, but he only has 12 receptions for 190 yards and one touchdown in five games this year.

For his career, Slayton has caught 110 passes for 1,681 yards and 12 touchdowns in 35 games. 

The Saints (5-2) are currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff race. They trail the Buccaneers by one-half game for the top spot in the NFC South.    

The New York Giants reportedly are not expected to trade tight end Evan Engram before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET NFL trade deadline, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano. 

That follows rumors and speculation that the struggling Giants might, or should, put Engram on the trade block:

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY added that the Green Bay Packers have been  "'asking around' about tight ends over the last few days, according to an NFL source, and have signaled an interest in all of the top names believed to be available. That includes Engram, the Giants tight end who many around the league believe could be traded by 4 p.m. on Tuesday if the price is right."

Engram, 27, has never quite lived up to his potential after being the No. 23 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He looked poised for big things after posting 64 catches for 722 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie season. 

But four years later, all three of those marks remain career highs. 

Some of that comes down to injuries. Engram missed five games in 2018 and eight games in 2019. He appeared in all 16 games last season and made 14 starts, though his production—63 catches for 654 yards and one score—was solid if unspectacular. 

Engram told reporters Monday he's just continuing to grind in an effort to improve his game. 

"I've just been putting in the work," he said. "I'm challenging myself each week to find new things to work on. You have to make the tough catches, have to make the easy catches." 

The Giants would be OK at tight end if they dealt Engram, with Kyle Rudolph on the roster. But Engram's athleticism has always given him tantalizing upside. He's just never quite been able to apply it to make him one of the top tight ends in the NFL and a consistent weapon for the Giants.

Following Monday night's narrow 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants head coach Joe Judge said the G-Men dealt with headset malfunctions during the defeat and every other game this season.

According to Tom Rock of Newsday, Judge said:

"It's happened in every game so far. We deal with the league and they keep telling us there are different software updates, but we had to call two timeouts today because we're trying to send the deals in personnel-wise and we have half the headsets aren't getting any reception. ... Whatever the issue with that is, the people involved with that had better get it fixed fast."

The Giants only had one timeout to save some clock during the Chiefs' go-ahead field-goal drive late in the fourth quarter and had no timeouts remaining when their offense took control of the ball with just over one minute remaining in regulation.

A sack of quarterback Daniel Jones on second down sent the Giants scrambling, and they were unable to recover, as Jones was sacked again on fourth down to effectively end the game.

With the loss to Kansas City, the Giants fell to 2-6 on the season and now find themselves 4.5 games behind the Dallas Cowboys for first place in the NFC East.

Judge is in his second season as head coach of the Giants, and they are just 8-16 under him. If the team continues its current downward trajectory, it's possible New York could be back on the hunt for a new head coach at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Whether the clock-management issues in Monday's game were due to Judge or the headsets, they unquestionably played a role in a possible season-saving upset.

In addition to long-term questions involving Judge and Jones, the Giants are dealing with myriad injuries to skill-position players.

Running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Kenny Golladay both missed their third consecutive game Monday, while wideouts Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney both got banged up during the contest.

Things don't figure to get any easier for the Giants either, as they will face a Las Vegas Raiders team currently in the playoffs on Sunday followed by a bye week and then a road game against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Those games will be massive challenges for the G-Men with or without operating headsets, and they could play a big role in deciding whether Judge and Jones will remain with the organization moving forward.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Kenny Golladay have been ruled out for Monday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs with ankle and knee injuries, respectively, per Dan Salomone of the team's website. 

Barkley and Golladay have not played since a Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and are set to miss their third straight game. 

The Giants decided against putting Barkley and Golladay on injured reserve, believing they'd be able to return within three weeks.

Both players suffered their injuries against Dallas. Barkley exited in the first quarter of that game after landing on the foot of Cowboys defensive back Jourdan Lewis, while Golladay didn't return after halftime due to his knee ailment. 

Barkley's injury is an unfortunate one for the Giants as he was just starting to return to star form after missing most of the 2020 season with a torn ACL. In his last full game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, the 24-year-old totaled 126 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in a 27-21 win.

The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year has 54 carries for 195 yards and two touchdowns in five games. He also has 14 catches for 130 yards and a score on 20 targets.

Golladay's injury is equally as disappointing for New York. The 27-year-old signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Giants in March after four seasons with the Detroit Lions. He was signed to be the team's top receiver alongside Sterling Shepard.

In five games this season, the Pro Bowler has 17 catches for 282 yards and no touchdowns on 29 targets.

In addition to Barkley and Golladay, linebackers Lorenzo Carter and Carter Coughlin and defensive back Nate Ebner are out with ankle injuries.

Shepard, Kadarius Toney and Kaden Smith are questionable with hamstring, ankle and knee injuries, respectively.

With Golladay and Barkley sidelined, Shepard and Toney have emerged as New York's leading receivers. Toney leads the Giants with 317 receiving yards on 23 catches, and Shepard ranks second with 299 yards and a touchdown on 28 catches.

The Giants enter Monday's game against the Chiefs fourth in the NFC East with a 2-5 record. With Kansas City sitting at 3-4 and coming off a 27-3 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, New York has a real shot at winning in Week 8.  

Several receivers and tight ends could be on the move ahead of the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, New York Giants pass-catchers Darius Slayton and Evan Engram, Miami Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker and Arizona Cardinals wideout Andy Isabella have all been discussed in potential trades. 

Breer also listed the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions among the teams looking for help at the position.

Trades make sense for the Dolphins and Giants, two struggling teams with an excess of pass-catchers when healthy.

Slayton and Engram are behind Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney on the depth chart, although each could be valuable in the right situation. Slayton had over 700 receiving yards at 15 yards per catch in each of the past two years. He has kept pace in 2021 with 12 catches for 190 yards.

With a 14.6 average depth of target, Slayton could be a quality deep threat on any team.

Engram has struggled with consistency during his career, but the tight end earned a Pro Bowl selection last season and has elite athleticism in a 6'3", 240-pound frame. If he can keep his drops down (he has one this season after totaling 11 in 2020), he can be a difference-maker in a new location.

Parker also has upside as a former first-round pick who totaled 1,202 receiving yards just two years ago. The 28-year-old has been quieter in 2021 with 17 catches for 242 yards, although he is competing for targets with Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki in an offense that ranks 29th in scoring.

With Will Fuller V also on the roster, the Dolphins could move on easily without Parker.

Isabella is in a more unique situation, as he can't get any playing time behind one of the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. The 2019 second-round pick has played zero offensive snaps and just six special teams snaps so far in 2021, per Pro Football Reference.

Arizona already has DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore, which means it would take a lot for Isabella to move into a prominent role in the offense.

A team could take a chance on the former UMass star to see if he can contribute with more playing time. 

New York Giants tight end Evan Engram is reportedly generating interest from "multiple" teams ahead of Tuesday's 2021 NFL trade deadline.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday there's "genuine affinity league-wide" for Engram despite injury issues that have often prevented his production from matching his talent.

The 27-year-old Ole Miss product missed the first two games during the 2021 season because of a calf injury suffered during the preseason. He also dealt with a calf injury last year but didn't sit out any games en route to his first Pro Bowl selection.

In all, Engram has missed 16 of a possible 71 regular-season games because of injury since the Giants selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft.

His best statistical season came as a rookie when he recorded 64 catches for 722 yards and six touchdowns while making 15 appearances. He tallied 63 receptions for 654 yards last year but found the end zone just once as part of a Giants offense that struggled without running back Saquon Barkley.

In turn, Fowler noted the Giants "could be faced with a decision" on whether to move on from the tight end before the deadline.

His contract situation could be a key factor in that decision.

Engram is playing the final year of his rookie contract and can become an unrestricted free agent at season's end if an agreement isn't reached on an extension.

If the sides haven't made progress toward a new deal, or the Giants are hesitant to offer him lucrative extension given his injury history, it would make sense to find a deal before the deadline to recoup some value before he hits the open market.

In September, Engram didn't provide a direct answer on whether he wanted to stay in New York after being booed by the home fans during a Week 3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

"I'm more focused on playing for my team and my teammates," Engram told reporters. "Obviously it's not ideal, and it's something that you don't want to see or hear, but my focus is playing better football for my teammates and my team and giving our supporters something to cheer about."

All things considered, it may be best for the Giants to take the best offer available and move on, but it shouldn't come as a surprise if the tight end finally breaks out in a major way if he lands within a more high-powered passing attack.

The New York Giants announced Tuesday they placed Jabrill Peppers on injured reserve with a ruptured right ACL and a high ankle sprain.

The veteran safety will be out for the remainder of the 2021 NFL season. He finishes the year with 30 tackles, one sack and one pass breakup in six appearances.

The Giants acquired Peppers during the 2019 offseason as part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

A spinal injury ended his first season with the team after 11 games. He became a key player on the defense in 2020, recording 89 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one interception.

The 26-year-old New Jersey native appeared to be well poised as he entered the final year of his rookie contract. Instead, Peppers' playing time fluctuated. Whereas he was on the field for most—if not all—of the Giants' defensive snaps one season ago, he hit 80 percent just twice this year, per Pro Football Reference.

On top of the reduced role, he will enter free agency with uncertainty surrounding how much the ACL injury in particular might limit him going forward.

Losing Peppers may alter New York's plans ahead of the trade deadline as well. Following the Giants' 2-5 start, The Athletic's Dan Duggan floated Peppers as a candidate to be moved before Nov. 2.

Either way, the Michigan product may have played his last game in the Big Apple.