The Giants lost another key player Saturday when cornerback Aaron Ross was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a back issue.
Ross started the past two games in place of injured Corey Webster and without him the Giants take a hit to their depth on defense. Down to just three healthy cornerbacks, they signed rookie Charles James off the practice squad and James is set to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Eagles.
Ross was forced out of last week’s loss in Kansas City with a back issue. Originally a 2007 first-round pick of the Giants, Ross started on two Super Bowl-winning defenses before spending last season with the Jaguars.
James is a small (5-foot-9, 179 pounds), quick corner out of Charleston Southern who impressed the Giants in the summer.
Prince Amukamara is healthy as one starting cornerback spot and Trumaine McBride could make his first start for the Giants, with Terrell Thomas serving as the nickel back, or those roles could be reversed. McBride is with his fourth team in his sixth NFL season and has 10 starts on his resume. The Giants have been building up Thomas’ reps steadily as he returns from two ACL knee surgeries in the past year.
In other roster moves, safety Will Hill was added to the active roster after missing the first four games sitting out a suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. Offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds, signed last week, was waived.
The Giants at 0-4 are looking for any edge they can against the 1-3 Eagles. Perhaps having Spencer Paysinger on their side will help.
Paysinger has more up close and personal experience dealing with the breakneck speed the Eagles employ than any other Giants combined. Paysinger was a three-year starting linebacker at Oregon and for four years he practiced against the fast-paces attack Chip Kelly’s brought with him to Philadelphia.
“When I saw that he was going to the Eagles it kind of took me back to, OK, we used to play against it in practice all of those years and now I’m about to play against it as a professional,” Paysinger said. “I was kind of excited to see if I still knew the Oregon motions and shifts and adjustments and stuff. I’ll be interested to see, once I’m on the field, if I hear any calls or stuff that kind of bring back some memories.”
Veteran kicker Josh Brown is off to a dreadful start in his first season with the Giants. He missed a 38-yard field goal attempt in Carolina and a 44-yard attempt in Kansas City, both momentum-killing misfires.
“It all starts with how he starts,’’ special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said. “If he just stays in line with everything and keeps his head down and follows through, he’ll be able to make that. His head came up. You see how he followed through. He wasn’t getting through it. He just has to trust himself to get through it.’’