At least initially, the New York Giants feared the worst.
During Sunday evening's preseason game against the Bengals, Giants' 2022 first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered a knee injury that came as a result of a chop block from Cincinnati tight end Thaddeus Moss.
Fortunately for the Giants, Thibodeaux only suffered an MCL sprain, the team announced. The rookie's availability for Week 1 is now in question, but overall it was a good sign for New York.
In 2021, Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas was hit on a similar low block against the Raiders. Thomas didn't get as lucky as Thibodeaux, though, as the 31-suffered a torn ACL, MCL, medial and lateral meniscus. Thomas missed the remainder of the season and was just activated from the Physically Unable to Perform List on Monday.
Speaking with local media in Ashburn on Monday, Thomas was asked about both Thibodeaux's hit and the one he got injured on and if there should be a place for low blocks in the game today.
"I think there's an act of going low and then there's going too low," Thomas said. "If you get somebody above the knee, the chances of them getting their leg trapped are a whole lot less. Then if you get 'em below the knee, everything's just gonna crumble. [The] same thing happened to him, happened to myself, happened to Tyree Jackson in Philly last year."
The low, chop block is legal under the current NFL rules. So, the respective hits that injured both Thomas and Thibodeaux were technically allowed. That still doesn't mean they should be taught as a proper method to block.
"We're actually coached to stay above the knee," Thomas said. "It's more effective that way. Obviously, a chance for injury is a whole lot lower. Chance for injury to the person who's actually doing the cut block is lower too.”
When Thomas was injured last year, head coach Ron Rivera said he thought the play was "avoidable." Then-Raiders defensive end Yannick Ngakoue wasn't fined for his hit on Washington's tight end, though, because it's technically legal.
On Monday, Rivera -- who's on the NFL's competition committee -- said "I do hope so" when asked if he thought the league should take a look at eliminating the low block.
The NFL has placed a major initiative in recent years on emphasizing player safety. The guardian caps -- foam padding on the helmet that offered another layer of protection -- were mandatory for some positions for the entirety of training camp.
If the league is truly committed to the health of its players, Thomas and Rivera believe it's worth considering eliminating the chop block altogether.
"It’s a tough play," Thomas said. "I think below the knee is kind of the cutoff point.”
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August 22, 2022 at 02:00PM
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Kayvon Thibodeaux injured on similar low block to one Logan Thomas took in 2021 - NBC Sports
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