New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy was carted off the field on Tuesday after injuring his right ankle during a special teams play.
Tracy, a fifth-round pick from Purdue, appeared to twist his ankle badly after mishandling a kickoff and went down in pain. He was taken to The Hospital for Special Surgery for tests and further evaluation.
The Giants reported that Tracy had an ankle injury.
Tracy was competing with second-year player Eric Gray for the backup spot behind Devin Singletary, the veteran signed to replace Saquon Barkley after he joined the Eagles.
Singletary said it was tough to see Tracy get hurt.
“We put a lot into this,” Singletary said. “You can’t really prevent injuries in this game. It’s a 100% injury rate, but you always hate to see one of your brothers go down. We don’t know exactly what’s going on, but we hate to see him go down.”
With Singletary and most starters getting rest, Tracy started the Giants’ preseason opener against the Detroit Lions and gained 26 yards on five carries.
Singletary said Tracy has shown a lot of promise.
“Coming in as a rookie, playing the way he’s been playing. I would say he hasn’t really been playing like a rookie,” Singletary said. “He’s been like a second or third-year player, the way he’s been performing. Of course, he still has room to grow, but he’s off to a good start.”
With Tracy injured, Gray might step into the backup role, with free agent Dante Miller as his backup. Gray rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns on four carries in the 14-3 win over the Lions on Thursday. Miller had 63 yards on 12 carries.
“We’re just going to count on one another,” Singletary said about the group without Tracy. “Basically, pick up for him. Hold it down for him. We’ve just got to keep rolling, keep getting better, keep finding ways to get better. That’s really what it comes down to.”
First-round draft pick Malik Nabers also worked on the sideline with trainers. He sprained his left ankle on Sunday while running a pass route in practice and was not on the field on Monday.
