New York Giants inside linebacker Alec Ogletree expects to be back from injury and ready to play Week 1 in Dallas.
During their first preseason game earlier this month, the New York Giants saw their starting inside linebacker go down with an injury. Alec Ogletree, who’s going into his second season with Big Blue, was ultimately diagnosed with a strained calf.
It doesn’t sound major, as Ogletree will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. But will Ogletree be healthy enough to return to the field for their Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys? Well, he surely thinks so.
LB Alec Ogletree (calf) says he is feeling better “for sure” and will be ready for Dallas.
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) August 19, 2019
That initial Giants-Cowboys game will be Sunday, Sept. 8, so Ogletree still has some time to recover and get back to full health.
In the meantime, inside linebackers Tae Davis, B.J. Goodson, and rookie Ryan Connelly are getting more in-game reps. The Giants drafted the latter in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) out of the University of Wisconsin. He’s been taking reps with the first team in Ogletree’s place.
The Giants traded for Ogletree, who recently changed his number from 52 to 47, before last season. He led the team in interceptions with five, was second on the team in total tackles with 93, and was tied for first with 7.5 tackles for loss. Additionally, he defended eight passes, which was the second-most on the team.
The former Ram played (and started) in 13 games for the Giants in 2018.
Big Blue plays their third preseason game this Thursday against the Bengals in Cincinnati. It’s the so-called “dress rehearsal” of the four exhibition games, with most starters possibly playing into the third quarter.
