Calvin Austin suffered apparent serious knee injury at Giants practice

Calvin Austin, the New York Giants' starting slot receiver, suffered an apparent serious knee injury without contact during Tuesday practice, according to Yahoo NFL's reporting. Austin went down while running a 1-on-1 in-cut route against cornerback Deonte Banks; his knee buckled and he groaned in immediate pain. Co-owner John Mara was among those attempting to console him. Austin had appeared to have secured the starting slot role after the Giants signed him following the free-agent departure of Wan'Dale Robinson, who accumulated more than 1,000 receiving yards last season. Through training camp, Austin had been one of quarterback Jaxson Dart's favored targets. In Saturday's preseason game against Miami, Austin posted a 21-yard rush, two receptions for 24 yards, and two punt returns for 29 yards. Head coach John Harbaugh praised Austin on Monday, noting his versatility: "It's pretty clear all the things he does well. And the nice thing about Calvin is that he can play all three spots. You can move him around in any one of those positions." Harbaugh described Austin as a 5-foot-9, 162-pound receiver who, despite his size, "can go outside. He's played outside a lot." Austin spent his first three seasons in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Giants. The sources characterize the injury as what "could be" a serious knee injury based on early reports. No official diagnosis, imaging results, or medical timeline from the Giants organization has been provided, and the full severity of the injury remains unclear at this stage.