EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Starting cornerback Terrell Thomas wasn't the only New York Giant lost for the season in their preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
Second-round draft pick Marvin Austin and free-agent cornerback Brain Witherspoon also are going to need season-ending surgery, a disappointed coach Tom Coughlin said in going over his injury report in a conference call.
"The injury report is not something that I'm real happy about today," Coughlin said. "I feel very badly for these young guys who have prepared and played so darn well and then had their seasons come to an end."
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Thomas, who was in the final year of his contract, tore the ACL in his right knee late in the first half and will need surgery.
Austin tore a pectoral muscle on his left side and will miss his second straight season. He was suspended by North Carolina last year and was ineligible to play.
Witherspoon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the second half of the Giants' 41-13 win. He was placed on waived-injured list.
The Giants' injuries at cornerback are reaching a crisis point. Backup Bruce Johnson was lost early in training camp with an Achilles' tendon. First-round draft pick Prince Amukamara broke a foot days after arriving. And now Thomas and Witherspoon are down.
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That leaves Corey Webster as the lone returning starter and former first-round pick Aaron Ross to move into the other starting spot. Mike Coe, first-year pro, Joe Burnett and rookie Darnell Burks are the only other cornerbacks on the roster.
General manager Jerry Reese said after last night's game that the Giants would be looking to sign cornerbacks, and co-owner John Mara said Tuesday that the team would be able to free up cap room to sign a veteran, if a good one could be found.
Ross is not the problem. He was a starter for a couple of seasons before his playing time was limited the past two seasons by hamstring injuries and Thomas' development.
"I think Aaron Ross played well last night and he has had a good camp and now he is a guy that our team will turn to and he realizes that," Coughlin said. "Hopefully, he is just going to get some consistency in his play and I think he will step up and realize that our team is looking to him. We need him for the reason that he was brought here and will go on to help us this year."
Murray returns to Cowboys
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The wait is over for running back DeMarco Murray and the Dallas Cowboys.
The third-round draft pick made his practice debut Tuesday, coming back for the first time since straining a hamstring during the lockout.
"I'm just excited to be here," he said. "I know what to do and I know where to go and things like that, I just need to get the reps in and I'll be fine."
Murray is the third-string back behind starter Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, but the rookie figures to play a significant role in the offense. Choice (calf), wide receiver Miles Austin (hamstring) and linebacker Keith Brooking all returned Tuesday as well, but it was Murray who generated the most buzz.
"He's a smart guy," coach Jason Garrett said. "That's one of the things we liked about him coming out. He seems on top of it in the meeting room. We've got to be able to see if he can take the information and take it out to the practice field."
Garrett has been flying blind when it comes to the former Oklahoma star. Normally, rookies begin working out with teams shortly after the draft and throughout the summer. The lockout wiped out the offseason and Murray's injury took care of the start of training camp and the first two preseason games.
"We didn't have that this year," Garrett said of the offseason program. "We had to wait for training camp to start to see these guys and now we had to wait three or four weeks to see a couple of the guys who were banged up. We're excited to see them."
Garrett praised Murray's ability to be an every-down back, catch out of the backfield, protect the quarterback and return kicks. Murray believes his strengths fit it well in the running back rotation.
"Speed and versatility -- I can run, catch and block," he said. "Felix is doing a great job, so I'm just here to complement him and Tashard Choice, and special teams-wise get in wherever they need me."
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