Giants DT Hankins out for season

Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins has a torn pectoral muscle and ill be lost for the season, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin confirmed on Monday. “We will miss him”.

Johnathan Hankins’ season is over. Hankins suffered the injury in the Giants’ 32-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s the one that forced the first fumble, recovered by Jasper Brinkley.

With Hankins out, either Cullen Jenkins or Jay Bromley will slide into his starting position alongside tackle Markus Kuhn. And the Giants waived Louis Nix on Saturday; he could be re-signed. This is the second important player that the Giants will seemingly lose for this season, as Jon Beason was also placed on season-ending IR over the weekend.

Coughlin did not announce a corresponding roster move to replace Hankins. He is a guy who loves to play and loves to compete. Coughlin called Hankins “an anchor in the middle”. Recovery from pectoral surgery can last six months and can be a hard obstacle for an interior lineman, who relies on upper-body strength to perform his job well. Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck and 49ers safety Antoine Bethea also landed on injured reserve with the same injury. “But he does have time”.