EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is ready to play against the Houston Texans on Saturday in what would be his first game since sustaining a major injury to his right knee in early November.
Jones spent the past eight months rehabbing his knee after having surgery around Thanksgiving to repair the ACL hurt on Nov. 5 in a game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
It went so well, the 27-year-old attended organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp in the spring and has been taking first-team reps since training camp started on July 24.
The 2019 first-round draft pick – No. 6 overall – didn’t play in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, but he is looking forward to the trip to Houston.
“It’s exciting,” Jones said Thursday after the Giants held their final practice this week. “I’ll be excited to be out there again, just going through the game routine, the pregame, getting out there, playing, in front of a crowd. I think, you know, all that’s exciting.”
There are a lot of players coming off injuries that are always waiting to see how they take their first hit. While Jones would prefer not to take a hit in playing for the first time without his protective red non-contact jersey, he is not worried about his knee.
“I think I’ve tested it,’ he said. “I’ve tested it in practice, tested in my rehab and workouts and feel like it’s in a good place. So yeah, I’m confident my knee will be ready to go.”
BILLS: Buffalo will once again have to make due without the backbone of its defense with linebacker Matt Milano out indefinitely and expected to miss at least the first few months of the season with a torn left biceps.
Bills Coach Sean McDermott called it “an unfortunate situation,” in providing the update on Milano on Thursday before Buffalo opened a joint practice at the Steelers’ facility. The teams will meet in a preseason game at Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Milano was hurt when it appeared his arm was hit during a routine tackling drill on Tuesday. He is scheduled to have surgery and, barring complications, has a chance to return by December. The injury is the latest setback for the 30-year-old. Milano was being eased back since being cleared to resume practice in mid-June after recovering from a broken right leg, which forced him to miss the final 12 games of last season.
TRADE: The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants in a trade also involving two 2026 draft picks.
The addition of the 31-year-old Phillips adds depth to the interior of the defensive line for a club hoping to see improvement from 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith, who had a disappointing rookie season. The team said the deal for Phillips was expected to be finalized Thursday. The Cowboys are also getting a seventh-round pick in 2026 while the Giants will get a sixth-round choice.
COWBOYS: Dallas is signing former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets edge rusher Carl Lawson. A first-round draft pick in 2017, Lawson has 27 career sacks in 74 games over six seasons. He played in just six games for the Jets last season and was limited because of a back injury sustained in training camp.
FALCONS: Two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons agreed on an $8 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The 30-year-old Simmons spent his first eight seasons in Denver. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2023 and was a second-team AP All-Pro four times in the past five years.
Simmons is the second major addition the Falcons have made to bolster their defense in two days. The team acquired four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matthew Judon from New England for a third-round pick on Wednesday.
VIKINGS: Minnesota’s No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison did not practice Thursday after injuring his left ankle early in the first of two joint practices with the Browns.
The second-year wideout appeared to step on a Cleveland defender’s foot after jumping to try and catch a pass Wednesday from Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold.
Addison got up and tried to walk before stumbling and needing assistance. He was driven off the field on a cart.
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