New York Giants center Jon Halapio fractured his right ankle in Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys and is out for the remainder of the season.
Halapio injured his ankle halfway through the third quarter when a group of players fell on his leg. The injury appears to be similar to the one suffered by wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. nearly a year ago.
Halapio’s injury dealt a serious blow to an offensive line group that is struggling with continuity after two regular season games. The group includes four new starters and two players at different positions than they are used to playing.
“We all love Jon. It’s very sad to hear,” left tackle Nate Solder said Sunday night after the game. “He went down, and we just wish the best for him.”
Halapio, 27, is one of the NFL’s feel good stories. He was a 2014 sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots who bounced around practice squads before signing with the Giants early last year.
Injuries forced Halapio onto the 53-man roster. He played in 10 games with six starts. This summer, he won the training camp battle over Brett Jones. Halapio’s natural position is guard and he converted to the center position with the help of Jones. Jones was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2019 seventh-round pick and started in both of the Vikings’ games.
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The Giants have options at the center position now that Halapio is done for the season.
John Greco replaced Halapio after his injury. He is in his 11th NFL season with 70 starts, almost entirely at the guard position. Greco signed with the Giants last year and made the final roster because of his experience at both guard and center. John Jerry was released when the team decided to keep Greco and is currently unsigned.
“He’s a vet and he’s been here and he knows what he’s doing,” quarterback Eli Manning said of Greco.
The Giants also have Spencer Pulley, who was signed before the start of the season. Pulley, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, played 32 games for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and started all 16 games in 2017. The team also signed Evan Brown, a 2018 undrafted free agent from SMU.
“We’ll start with John and then obviously get Spencer ready to go,” head coach Pat Shurmur said.
The Giants offensive line has been a source of discontent. In two games, they allowed eight sacks of Manning including six against Dallas.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL, the New York Giants, and the NBA. Please like and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
