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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The Giants today bolstered their defense and special teams with a series of line-up moves ahead of their game against the Bengals in Cincinnati tomorrow.
Two rookies – linebacker Tae Crowder and goaltender Xavier McKinney – were activated from the team’s reserve injured list. Kicker Graham Gano was activated from the Reserve / Covid-19 list. And rookie defensive end Niko Lalos was a standard elevation for the practice squad.
Crowder, one of the Giants’ four seventh-round picks this year, has played five of the team’s first six games, starting two. He had 17 tackles (nine solo), but his biggest contribution was the decisive touchdown he scored on a 43-yard fumble return in the win over Washington on Oct. 18.
But Crowder hasn’t played since that game. He suffered a hamstring injury, switched to IR and missed four games.
McKinney will make his NFL debut in Cincinnati. The team’s second-round pick this year, he’s been on the injured reserve since September 6, after being placed there after surgery to repair a broken foot he suffered at training camp . McKinney is expected to join a safety rotation that includes veterans Jabrill Peppers, Logan Ryan and sophomore Julian Love.
In three seasons at the University of Alabama, McKinney has played 41 games with starts in each of his last 28 games and totaled 176 tackles (108 solo), including 13 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, five interceptions – coming back two for touchdowns – 20 defensive passes, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovered.
Gano’s 79 points place him ninth among NFL kickers. He’s made 21 of 22 field goal attempts this season, missing just one 57-yard attempt at Chicago in Week 2. Gano made 20 straight attempts, the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind Jason Myers of Seattle (23). He is also tied with Aldrick Rosas for the second longest streak in Giants history, nine behind Josh Brown.
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