Giants place WR John Ross, EDGE Elerson Smith on IR

The Giants have placed a pair of players on injured reserve ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Denver Broncos.

Numerous New York Giants are headed to injured reserve as the team gears up for its Sept. 12 regular-season opener.

The organization placed wide receiver John Ross and rookie edge rusher Elerson Smith on IR Wednesday. This means either player will need to miss at least the first three games of the regular season. After the three matchups, both could be designated for return and the Giants would then possess a 21-day period to activate them.

Not activating a player within the 21 days would lead to that individual being on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

#Giants have placed wide receiver John Ross & edge Elerson Smith on injured reserve, the team says. They are ineligible for at least the first 3 weeks

— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) September 1, 2021

The earliest Ross or Smith could play in a live game is the Week 4 matchup against New Orleans (Sunday, Sept. 3).

The Giants signed Ross to a one-year deal this past offseason after he spent four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals as a top-10 draft pick. He didn’t play in any of the team’s three preseason games and is currently dealing with a hamstring injury.

Smith, on the other hand, is a 2021 fourth-round draft pick out of Northern Iowa. He additionally has a hamstring injury and didn’t participate during the preseason. Once he’s healthy, the Giants will expect him to provide reliable pass-rushing depth behind Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines, and fellow rookie Azeez Ojulari.

The Giants didn’t place Saquon Barkley (knee), Evan Engram (calf), or Kyle Rudolph (foot) on injured reserve, but there’s still a chance any one of them could miss the Week 1 game.