Giants tackle Will Beatty will miss the rest of the season with a detached retina.
Coach Tom Coughlin made the announcement Wednesday, ending any hope that the left tackle would be able to return and help the team halt the slide that’s taken them from first place to a game behind the Cowboys over the last three weeks. Beatty suffered the injury in the Eagles game and had surgery on Thanksgiving, but, per Coughlin, it won’t be safe for him to get back on the field for some time.
David Diehl, the former starter at left tackle, moved over from left guard with Kevin Boothe entering the starting lineup. The line has struggled to run block effectively this season, something that doesn’t figure to change dramatically over the next five weeks.
The Giants signed linebacker Chase Blackburn, who was their special teams captain during a previous stint with the team. Since Coughlin also said that chances are Osi Umenyiora won’t play this week against the Packers, there’s a chance Blackburn could see time at linebacker with Mathias Kiwanuka spending more time at end in Umenyiora’s place. That decision will likely have to do with Michael Boley’s availability. The linebacker practiced Wednesday, but has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury.
