Calvin Austin carted off with potentially major knee injury that brought Giants practice to a halt

Calvin Austin, who was having a solid preseason as reliable pass-catcher for Jaxson Dart, suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury Tuesday during Giants practice.Austin was working a 1-on-1 in-cut route against Deonte Banks when his knee buckled and he groaned in instant pain.Get texts from Paul Schwartz with all the latest Giants news and insights, exclusive to Sports+ subscribers.

A solemn silence fell over practice and soon every other drill station stopped as players ran over to console Austin before he was carted off the field.If Austin is out for the long-term, it changes the makeup of the 53-man roster.Odell Beckham Jr.

might no longer be on the bubble if the Giants only keep six receivers (Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Braxton Berrios and Beckham).Austin, 27, is an experienced returner but the Giants list Berrios as their top option on punts and kickoffs.After four seasons with the Steelers, Austin signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Giants — his top desired free-agent landing spot to team with swaggy quarterback Dart and old AFC North rival head coach John Harbaugh.“The nice thing about Calvin is that he can play all three (receiver) spots,” Harbaugh said after Monday’s practice.“You can move him around in any one of those positions.

He’s a ‘smaller receiver,’ and yet he can go outside.He’s played outside a lot.

You don’t see that that often.So, he gives us a lot of versatility that way.

Kind of everything you ask him to do, he does it well.He’s very reliable.

Runs the right routes, makes catches.He’s been that way kind of his whole career.”...