Sometimes there often is no rhyme or reason to why a player is fine one play and goes down with a devastating torn Achilles tendon injury the next play.
“Really, you look for answers and there are none,’’ Giants head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday after organized team activity practice No. 9. “You can’t predict tendons hardly at all, let alone Achilles, which are the worst. You just don’t know.’’
That uncertainty is not good enough for Harbaugh.
He is determined to find whatever clues there are to prevent what happened this spring to three of his players: defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris, wide receiver and kick returner Gunner Olszewski and cornerback Thaddeus Dixon.
All three suffered torn Achilles.
Harbaugh said “we haven’t changed anything’’ regarding the practice schedule or rigor but said “we’ve added things.’’
What was added is increased vigilance, using technology to test the fitness of every player.
“Turn over every stone, all hands on deck,’’ Harbaugh said.
The Giants are also bringing in four new pieces of equipment to enhance strength training and testing of body movement, attempting to give each player specific information to gauge his own fitness and risk of injury.
“There’s no common dominators with any of the three guys, there’s no common denominators with loads or anything else,’’ Harbaugh said of the three Achilles tears.
“There is a common denominator with the movement pattern when they tore it. Kind of a reset, stepping back reset deal that happened. We try to caution our guys against that.’’
Robertson-Harris, who started all 17 games in 2025, has not yet been placed on season-ending injured reserve. Harbaugh said there is a chance Robertson-Harris might be able to return late in the season.
“We’re going to try to hold off on that if we can,’’ Harbaugh said.
Jason Sanders, the only veteran kicker on the roster, was released this week. Sanders spent seven seasons with the Dolphins but spent the 2025 season on injured reserve with a hip issue.
“This is one of those environments, it’s windy out here, it always has been,’’ Harbaugh said. “It’s a tough environment to kick in. His style might not be a perfect fit for here, really, right now.’’
Harbaugh predicted Sanders would “probably get picked up pretty quickly.’’
Indeed, the Jets signed him Wednesday.
Ben Sauls, who went 8-for-8 on field goals late last season for the Giants, did not have a strong day. He went 4-for-10 on his field-goal attempts — one was blocked — but he did hit both of his attempts in the team periods. The other kicker on the roster is rookie Dominic Zvada.
Harbaugh wore a Giants cap as he stepped behind the lectern for his media session and then switched to a crisp new Knicks hat.
He went to a Knicks game earlier this season and is following along as they have reached the NBA Finals.
“It’s exciting, watching the way they play, it’s fun because I think it’s instructive,’’ Harbaugh said. “You get an opportunity just to see how a team can come together. The team to me is executing at the highest level, operating together on the same page with everything they do, playing with a lot of confidence because they understand exactly where everybody is going to be at all times. It’s a coach’s dream when you watch a team play the way they’re playing. It’s a fun team to watch. It’s going to be a great series. Let’s go get a win.’’
He has noticed the response from the fans in the New York/New Jersey area.
“It’s been exciting because obviously you envision that,’’ he said. “Kind of get a little selfish, you want to see that for the Giants. That’s what you want to see. It would be something that we’re working for. We’d like to get there too. That would be our goal.’’
