Giants Lose CB Walter Thurmond III For Season

The New York Giants lost their second straight game to get the 2014 season going. As if the year wasn’t getting off to a bad enough start, they also took a hit to their rebuilt secondary. According to reports, New York will have to move forward without star cornerback Walter Thurmond III, who sustained a torn pectoral in Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

It’s a huge loss for Big Blue, as they signed on the former Seattle Seahawk in free agency in an effort to completely rebuild a pass defense that largely struggled in 2012. Thurmond along didn’t fix things completely through the season’s first two games, but the 27-year old was supposed to be part of the solution. Unfortunately, his already checkered injury history came back to bite him this past weekend, and the talented corner will likely have to seek out a job elsewhere on a second straight one-year deal.

The hope initially was that Thurmond had merely a strained pectoral, but an MRI on Monday revealed a tear, effectively ending his 2014 season. It could be the corner’s first and last season with the G-Men after just two games.

While the Thurmond injury certainly stings, it doesn’t necessarily cripple the Giants, as they should be getting back talented young corner Jayron Hosley in week five, once his four-game suspension has cleared. Hosley had yet to break out as a reliable corner through his first two seasons in New York, but did flash solid ability as a rookie in 2012 (40 tackles, one interception and a forced fumble),

Hosley’s time with the Giants almost ended this off-season, however, when he received his four-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Luckily for Hosley, New York has just released safety Will Hill for his third league suspension, and decided not to cut ties with their young corner. They felt they needed the depth then, and they’ll surely need it now.