One of the Giants’ captains doesn’t feel the roster’s leadership group is being listened to.
After the Giants’ latest loss, which dropped them to 2-7 and saw Daniel Jones suffer a potentially devastating knee injury, safety Xavier McKinney expressed frustration about the communication between the captains and team’s decision-makers.
“Honestly, it sucks. But, I don’t know, man. I don’t really have many words. I think that from a leadership standpoint, I don’t think they’ve done a great job of letting the leaders lead, and listening to the leaders and the captains,” McKinney told ESPN. “But obviously it sucks losing.”
McKinney, the No. 36 overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Alabama who’s in his fourth season, was one of 10 Giants selected as a captain for this year; one of those captains, Leonard Williams, was sent to Seattle at the trade deadline.
While the 24-year-old didn’t get into specifics, he indicated — without mentioning Brian Daboll by name — that coaches weren’t taking players’ input into consideration during games.
“It was little things,” McKinney told ESPN. “It was one of those things where you have some of your leaders, captains from a defensive standpoint, trying to switch things up. And just not really being heard.
“I don’t know. There are other things too that we could’ve done. Like I said, the execution stuff could’ve been better. But when you got guys out there that are playing and seeing different things and are being vocal and communicating that with the coaches and whoever and are not being heard, it’s hard to go out there and be able to make plays and do things of that nature.”
McKinney had a game-high 10 tackles in the Giants’ 30-6 loss in Las Vegas, giving him 53 tackles for the season.
He is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to become a free agent after this season.
If Jones is out for the season, undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito will likely start at quarterback as Tyrod Taylor is on injured reserve with a ribs injury.
The Giants signed veteran Matt Barkley to their practice squad last week.