Aaron Robinson’s return to the Giants was short-lived.
The starting cornerback was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, meaning he will miss at least the next four games while recovering from a knee injury. It already is the second absence to slow Robinson’s development as a second-year pro.
Robinson’s return from two games missed due to an appendectomy lasted just 10 defensive snaps. The Giants are undermanned at cornerback with rookie Cor’Dale Flott (calf) and backup Nick McCloud (hamstring) also sidelined.
Fabian Moreau, who was signed off the practice squad last week, will step in as a starter opposite Adoree Jackson, with an opportunity for special-teamer Justin Layne or safety Jason Pinnock (a converted cornerback) not far off. Moreau played a big part as a game-day elevation during Robinson’s first absence.
By putting Robinson on injured reserve, the Giants opened one roster spot to address injury-related shortages at quarterback, wide receiver or cornerback.
The Giants worked out at least three quarterbacks Tuesday in preparation for the scenario that both Daniel Jones (knee) and Tyrod Taylor (concussion) could be out Sunday against the Rams. In that case, Davis Webb would be elevated off the practice squad to start and a new backup would be needed.
Brian Lewerke, who spent all last season on the Giants practice squad, outperformed A.J. McCarron and Jake Fromm, according to a source. No signing is imminent as the Giants could wait to see how mobile Jones is during Wednesday’s practice.
Lewerke spent all last season on the Giants practice squad, signed to a futures contract before the new regime was hired and was released during OTAs, after a few weeks with the playbook in hand. He has the least experience of the three in head coach Brian Daboll’s offense and has never appeared in an NFL game.
Fromm went 0-2 as a Giants starter last season, after he was plucked from the Bills practice squad when the former regime bypassed Lewerke. Like Fromm, McCarron, who has four career starts, played under Daboll in his role as Bills offensive coordinator in 2018.
The Chicago Bears were the uninterrupted winningest franchise in NFL history from 1921 until Sunday, when they lost to the Giants. The Green Bay Packers and Bears now share the lead with 785 regular-season victories apiece.
The Giants will play a role in breaking the tie if their result against the Packers is different than the Bears’ result against the Minnesota Vikings.