In the first season of Brian Daboll’s tenure as head coach of the New York Giants in 2022, he had one placekicker, Graham Gano. Since then, Gano has struggled to stay healthy, and the Giants have not had a solid replacement plan for when he can’t kick, which is becoming all too often.

In 2023, Gano played only eight games due to a knee injury. The Giants turned to the waiver wire for help. Veteran Randy Bullock kicked for six games and Mason Crosby the other three. In 2024, Injuries limited Gano to 10 games. He was replaced by Greg Joseph for six games and Jude McAtamney for one.

This season, Gano is not completely healthy again. He has kicked in five of the Giants’ nine games thus far. McAtamney kicked in the other four. Gano’s availability is not his fault. When he’s on, he’s a top kicker. The Giants haven’t been managing him all that well. There have been times when his sudden unavailability has left them scrambling.

This week, Gano is on the fence again about playing. He is dealing with a herniated disc in his neck.

“So, I started having some discomfort last week in my neck. I just thought it was normal, like you slept on it wrong. Then, after I came in on Monday, lifted, I felt like it was pretty intense pain. Had some nerve stuff going on,” Gano told reporters on Thursday. “Then went to the doctor, and he said it was a herniated disc in my neck. It’s pressing up against the spinal cord.

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“But it was probably beginning to happen, and then just after lifting, you know, kind of let go. Nothing that I could really stop. It’s the same type of stuff I’ve been doing lift-wise. Super frustrating. But I had an injection yesterday on my spine. Hopefully, that will start helping out.”

Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial would not comment on Gano’s injury, but did assure reporters on Thursday that the team will be prepared for all outcomes. The Giants have two kickers on their practice squad, McAtamney and Younghoe Koo.

“I think obviously Jude kicking for a few games was important, getting used to the operation,” Ghobrial said. “I think Koo’s done a nice job. At the end of the day, we will still exhaust every ounce of the week to make certain that we’re making the right decision. I think both guys will be ready. I know Koo has kicked really well, so I would have ultimate confidence with him going out there.”

Gano has yet to practice this week, and if he doesn’t on Friday, the Giants are likely to sit him for Sunday’s game in Chicago against the Bears.

McAtamney had his shot and was actually cut three weeks ago after missing two extra points in the Giants’ monumental 39-38 loss in Denver. They re-signed him to the practice squad days later, but it only makes sense that Koo gets the call here. He spent most of his career kicking indoors with the Atlanta Falcons and is now adjusting to kicking in places such as New Jersey and Chicago.

“I think there’s a lot of comfort with him, Jamie (Gillan), Casey (Kreiter). He has done a great job being outdoors, obviously kicking outdoors a lot now. And again, he has the experience of being in a lot of NFL stadiums, but coming here, understanding the operation, getting his specific hold the exact way that he wants it, I think was important,” Ghobrial said.

“He’s done a nice job, he really has. When we do these field goal periods, we kind of paint the field. We don’t necessarily always go front to back and just keep taking them as far back as he can. It’s mixing it up like a game would. Sometimes it’s a PAT, sometimes it’s a 50-yard field goal, then it’s coming up on a bunny field goal from the nine-yard line. Then it’s this, then it’s that. He’s done a good job of making it one snap and clear every time.”

Head coach Brian Daboll also stated, like Ghobrial, that if Gano can’t go on Sunday, Koo will get the practice squad elevation and the start.