The New York Giants came close to having a wide receiver corps that would have been the envy of the entire NFL. Odell Beckham Jr. had just burst onto the scene and was looking very much like a guy who would continually vie for the title of best pass catcher in the league. And while OBJ still very much is that guy, the Giants suddenly look very thin out wide and may soon be even thinner. Victor Cruz's shocking and unexpected injury during an October 2014 game against the Philadelphia Eagles has robbed him of most of two seasons. And Rueben Randle has failed to develop into the kind of threat Giants GM Jerry Reese hoped he could be when he nabbed him in the second round in 2012.
With Randle set to hit free agency and Cruz scheduled to make $8 million in 2016, their futures in Big Blue are very much in question. According to NJ.com's Jordan Raanan, the Giants have not yet talked with Cruz about a potential restructuring of his deal, though the two sides will likely meet at the NFL's rookie scouting combine in Indianapolis this week.
But, per Raanan, as of just two weeks ago, the formerly explosive Cruz had no idea what New York had planned for him. His injury is the kind that could potentially rob him of the elite quickness that allowed him to survive and thrive in the league in the first place, so an incentive-laden deal that hinges on his ability to produce may be in his future.
As for Randle, Raanan pegs the chances of his return at just 15 percent. He's young (24) and still has the athleticism and upside that made him a high draft pick not all that long ago, but his production, even with Cruz out of the lineup, has been mediocre. He finished 2015 with just 57 receptions for 797 yards and 8 touchdowns. An early knee injury seemed to bog him down in 2015 and he never quite recovered. That followed a 2014 wherein Randle failed to take advantage of the opportunity afforded him by Cruz's injury. He was benched on at least two occassions and did little with the 120-plus targets he was afforded.
Randle, in short, has been a disappointment. And the injury to Cruz, freakish though it may have been, puts not only his Giants tenure, but his NFL career in jeopardy.
OBJ will be back in 2016, but there are questions as to who will join him in the New York receiver room.
