Giants place Bryce Ford-Wheaton on injured reserve after torn achilles tendon, sign Gunner Olszewski
The 25-year-old Ford-Wheaton, in his third season with the Giants, went down Sunday on a play in which there was no contact. He got up, took a few steps, and then slammed his helmet to the grass and sat down while trainers attended to him. Ford-Wheaton, who was carted from the field, missed his entire rookie season in 2023 when he tore an ACL in a preseason game against the Jets.
'Man, my heart aches for that man,' coach Brian Daboll said before practice Monday. 'He's done everything he could do to get back. He's a very good special teams player for us and was having a good camp from working back from his injury. … That's the tough part of this business – probably one of the worst is seeing these guys go down that have put so much time and effort and energy into getting back, and we'll certainly miss him.' Ford-Wheaton, who signed as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia, returned last season from his torn ACL and played a key role on special teams for the Giants. He returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for a touchdown in a win over Seattle in Week 5.
'I'd be lying if I said I wasn't devastated!' Ford-Wheaton wrote on X on Sunday. 'I did everything by the book! Didn't take a single shortcut, left no stone unturned, invested everything into my body and my health this year. I'm not sure why me, but I promise I'm not going out on these terms. It's a long road ahead for sure, but I know this is just part of God's plan for me no matter how tough it may seem right now. Thank you all for your prayers, please continue to keep me in them. I WILL be back that's a promise!! God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers!'
Olszewski returns to the Giants after spending most of the past two seasons in New York. He injured his groin before the season opener last year and was placed on injured reserve. Olszewski, an All-Pro in 2020 after leading the NFL in punt return yards with New England, played his first three seasons with the Patriots after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Bemidji State in 2019. He signed with Pittsburgh in 2022 and was released during the 2023 season before the Giants signed him to their practice squad.
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