Olivier Vernon's status for Week 1 is in doubt after the Giants' best pass rusher was reportedly diagnosed with a high ankle injury.
Vernon was carted off the practice field Sunday. X-rays were negative.
There were conflicting reports Monday morning on what Vernon's exact diagnosis is. ESPN's Dianna Russini reported that it is a high ankle sprain. But NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and The Athletic's Dan Duggan both said Vernon has a sprained ankle and deep bruise on the upper part of his ankle.
Either way, the Giants cannot help but feel some level of relief the injury is not worse, although a high ankle sprain generally keeps players sidelined for multiple weeks.
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In his second season with the Giants last year, Vernon had 37 tackles and 6 1/2 sacks. He missed four games in 2017 with a sprained ankle.
Vernon, 27, was moved from defensive end to outside linebacker this season in defensive coordinator James Bettcher's 3-4 system.