The Giants’ streak of injuries continued Sunday when first-round pick DeAndre Baker “felt something” in his knee during individual warm-ups at practice.
He didn’t participate in team drills and had an MRI exam. While there was no official announcement, the rookie reportedly sprained his left knee. He will undergo further tests Monday and the timeline for recovery is unclear.
“Yeah, just in his individual warm-up type stuff, something with his knee,” head coach Pat Shurmur said following practice. “We’re just checking it out [with] an MRI. I have no information on that right now. [It happened] just kind of in the warm-up drills. He just felt something so he’s getting that checked out.”
Baker had been penciled in as a starter opposite Janoris Jenkins, making a potential serious knee injury a big concern for the Giants. Baker had one tackle in the 33-21 win over the Jets on Thursday night.
The Giants drafted Baker to complete their trifecta of first-round picks in April, joining quarterback Daniel Jones and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. GM Dave Gettleman traded back into the first round to grab Baker, dealing the No. 37 pick, a fourth-round pick and a fifth-rounder to the Seahawks for the 30th pick.
Fellow rookie Corey Ballentine slid in with the starting defense to fill Baker’s spot. The 23-year-old said he’s ready to step up whenever the Giants need him, but was particularly happy to compete against a faster-paced offense in practice and use it as an opportunity to improve.
“I’ve said it all along: He’s a very competitive, tough guy, and because that’s his nature, when we’re playing the uncontrolled game of football, he shows up,” Shurmur said of Ballentine. “That’s why he’s out there. He’s done a good job to this point. We’re hopeful that he’ll stay on the same track and keep getting better.”
Ballentine has proven to be a pest on defense throughout training camp and was able to translate it against the Jets with a leaping interception off of former Giant Davis Webb. The Division II Washburn University product — whose arrival to New York was delayed after he was shot and his best friend killed the night of the draft — said he didn’t get much sleep Thursday night as he relived his preseason debut for the Giants.
“It felt really good. I called my mom, and we were on the phone for an hour and a half,” he said. “It was crazy because we were just talking about how far I have come. Coming from Jamaica and all of the adversity I have been through, and now being here doing my dream. It’s just crazy being out there on the field.
“I had never been to an NFL game before, and [now] here I am, on the field. There were a lot of emotions going through my head, but I was glad to be out there with my team and I was happy with the way I played. My team is what’s important to me, so it was definitely a good feeling.”