NFL Rumors: Injured Defensive Backs Expected to Play vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The New York Giants are already undermanned in the secondary, so when three of the biggest starters went out with an injury in their Week 3 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, you know the team was holding their breath.

Fortunately, it appears that all three of those players (Corey Webster, Antrel Rolle and Jayron Hosley) will all be available for next Sunday’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Webster, who went down first, suffered a broken hand during the first quarter. He was unsure of when that occurred exactly, but noted that it likely happened during the scuffle between him and Panthers receiver Steve Smith.

Meanwhile, Rolle suffered a laceration to his left knee after colliding with a cameraman who preferred not to get out of the way on a play that went out of the corner of the end zone. At first glance, the injury appeared to be something very serious, but the Giants got off lucky with an easy stitch job for the Pro Bowl safety.

The rookie Hosley told reporters that his hamstring injury was nothing to worry about, stating that he felt good and that he was thankful it wasn’t a tear or anything of that level.

Rolle and Hosley each had interceptions in the Giants’ win on Thursday Night Football, where the defending Super Bowl champions gave Panthers quarterback Cam Newton trouble all night in the passing game.

Preparing to take on the Eagles and their potent offensive attack, the Giants will need all the reinforcements they can get. Losing any of these three players would have been a devastating blow that likely would have left the Giants scrambling for help to slow down the likes of Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin.

Webster’s injury will likely be the most difficult to play with, but the longtime Giant should make the proper adjustments to deal with it while it heals. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles target Webster or Hosley, knowing that they will be somewhat hampered going into their game.

Louis Musto is a New York Giants Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.