The Giants’ running game is getting thinner by the day.
Fresh off David Wilson’s forced retirement, Peyton Hillis is now out indefinitely because of an injury to his foot and ankle that Tom Coughlin said Wednesday is no run-of-the-mill sprain.
Coughlin said the oft-injured Hillis will be out “a little while” after the veteran power back suffered his latest malady early in Tuesday night’s practice and did not return.
“I think it’s a sprain, but the degree of which it takes to get him back out there, there’s some speculation on that,” Coughlin said. “I hope it’s as fast as possible, but I don’t know if that’s the case.”
Hillis’ injury is yet another hit to an area that was one of the bright spots for the Giants in Sunday night’s 17-13 preseason win over the Bills in the Hall of Fame Game.
Big Blue backs rushed for 122 yards, including 48 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries by promising rookie Andre Williams. That showing made the shakiness of the Giants’ adjustment to new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s West Coast scheme a lot less glaring.
But depth at that spot took back-to-back blows with Wilson’s career-ending neck diagnosis on Monday and now Hillis’ foot and ankle woes. The Giants are left with Williams, veteran Rashad Jennings, second-year pro Michael Cox and street free agent Kendall Gaskins.
That lineup is disconcerting enough to Coughlin that he said fullbacks Henry Hynoski and John Conner could see double duty when the Giants host the Steelers in exhibition action Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.
“The fullbacks can play running back, too,” Coughlin said.
For the time being, the Giants don’t have any plans to add a veteran running back to make up for Wilson’s exit and the uncertainty about Hillis’ unavailability. But Coughlin said that could change.
“Right now, [signing another ball carrier] is probably not our thought,” the coach said. “But if this thing goes on and on with Hillis, then we would have to do something.”
Coughlin tried to take the positive route, painting it as a chance for Cox and Gaskins to ease the Giants’ minds about the position. Cox carried 22 times for 43 yards in 14 games last season (including one start); Gaskins has never appeared in a regular-season game.
“Opportunity presents itself in many different ways,” Coughlin said with a smile when asked about Cox and Gaskins.
Hillis, meanwhile, is left to deal with another in a seemingly endless string of injuries the former Arkansas star has battled in his well-traveled, seven-year NFL career.
Hillis, 28, appeared in 72 games (including 34 starts) in his first six seasons with the Broncos, Browns, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Giants but has yet to be able to play an entire regular-season schedule because of various maladies.
The 6-foot-1, 240-pound Hillis missed time last year due to a concussion and a hyperextended knee after being forced to sit with an ankle injury in 2012 and a hamstring issue in 2011.
Hillis’ bullish, battering-ram style made him a fan favorite in Cleveland (even landing him the cover of the Madden video game in 2011). He also had his moments with the Giants last year after being signed off the street in October, rushing for 70 yards in a Week 8 road win over the Eagles.
But this week’s ankle injury leaves Hillis in an all-too-familiar position — unavailable and out of sight.
Hillis spoke to the media Tuesday afternoon, hours before injuring his ankle, and reflected on an NFL career that has always seemed tenuous.
“I’ve always played my career from year to year because every year, it seems like I’m on the bubble, even this year,” Hillis said. “I can relate [to Wilson’s forced retirement]. This is precious time. You’re not going to be here for too long, so you have to take advantage of it.”