Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has gone under the knife.
The Pro Bowl pass rusher, who is having a resurgent season with the Giants, posted a picture of himself from the hospital early Wednesday morning. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Pierre-Paul opted for surgery after a visit to core-muscle specialist Dr. William Meyers and will be out at least six weeks. Pierre-Paul injured a core muscle in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
For those counting at home, that puts Pierre-Paul out for the regular season, but does not rule out a playoff return.
While this is a tremendous blow for the Giants, especially against the run, the team does have some talent stowed away at defensive end. Former undrafted free agent Kerry Wynn and 2015 third-round pick Owamagbe Odighizuwa will figure heavily into the team's game plan over the next few weeks.
Pierre-Paul is not the sack artist he used to be as a much younger player, but almost no one has played the run better from his position since 2013. The potentially season-ending injury sets up an interesting offseason for the former first-round pick, who could have realistically played his last down as a member of the New York Giants. Pierre-Paul signed a one-year, $10 million deal to stay with his team before the season began.
He'll hit the market shortly after his 28th birthday.
The timing could not be worse for Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has to find a way to hammer Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott behind the line this Sunday. The Giants are currently hanging on to the fifth seed in a brutally competitive NFC playoff picture. A win over the best team in football buys them some valuable breathing room down the stretch.
