Giants Lose Theo Johnson to Season-Ending Injury

Even that has been tarnished for a Giants team mired in misfortune. In Thursday’s 27-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, rookie tight end Theo Johnson suffered a foot injury.

According to head coach Brian Daboll, it’s likely going to end his season.

“He injured his foot,” Daboll said. “This one's probably going to be a long term one as well.”

Johnson’s season hasn’t been particularly productive. He posted 43 targets in 12 games, catching 29 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown.

But his rookie campaign didn’t end without flashes, including a 35-yard score against the Washington Commanders. He may have just been hitting his stride, too. He set his career-high for yards in a game on Thursday, with 54 yards. His five catches also tied a career-best mark.

In his place will likely be newly-signed tight end Greg Dulcich. The team claimed him ahead of the Week 12 matchup with Dallas, hoping to add some depth to the room. He, Daniel Bellinger, and Chris Manhertz will be responsible for the reps in his absence.

“Well, they're professionals. We're all professionals and we have a job to do,” Daboll said. “Again, I've said this many times, the results aren't what they want, we want. But, there's a lot of pride and commitment to improving and doing the things we need to do on a weekly basis. We've got a lot of young players that have come up, learned from the older guys and work extremely hard during the week and we're not getting the results.

“But, they're professionals. Our job is to go out there and do everything we can to improve each week and get ourselves a chance to get the results we look for.”

Manhertz will likely retain the blocking role. But given Bellinger got leapfrogged by a rookie, the New York faithful should get ready to see a lot more of Dulcich down the stretch.

Ultimately, Johnson didn’t do enough to secure next year’s starting role without any form of competition. How Dulcich fares as the weather worsens could be telling in how the Giants address the position this offseason.