What happened to Nick Gates? Giants C suffers gruesome injury

The New York Giants have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and it seems that they're going to have even more problems in the coming weeks.

Nick Gates, an interior offensive lineman who's a rare bright spot on the inside, was carted off the field after suffering a gruesome leg injury during Thursday's contest against the Washington Football Team. The images are not beautiful:

The Giants were already short on the offensive line for the contest, as they lost guard Shane Lemieux to an injury during last week's game against the Denver Broncos and he was out for today's game.

Lemieux's injury resulted in major changes regarding the offensive line. Gates, who started at center in Week 1, then moved to the left guard spot; Billy Price, a former first-round pick for the Bengals who has underperformed so far in his career, was inserted into the starting lineup.

New York Giants v Washington Football Team

Chemistry is a vital factor for any offensive line to protect its quarterback well, and to see two players changing their spots in a short week against a ferocious defensive line made this an incredibly difficult situation for the Giants. Gates' injury makes things even worse, especially considering how much Daniel Jones' performance drops when he's under pressure.

Nick Gates career with the Giants

The Giants tried a ton of things to fix their offensive line since Dave Gettleman was hired as general manager. Gates is a rare example of what panned out.

A undrafted pick out of Nebraska, he spent his first year developing while placed at the injured reserve. He started four games during the 2019 season, playing in all 16 because of his participation with the special teams, and got promoted to starting center in 2020 after Jon Halapio left the team.

Gates has the versatility to play in all three positions in the interior of the offensive line. He's a solid pass protector who also shines at run blocking. His good performances may be underrated because of the Giants' awful remainder of the offensive line, but they know they have a solid option in Gates.

He's going to be a free agent after the season following a two year, $6,8 million contract extension signed in 2020. The Giants have already confirmed he suffered a lower leg fracture and, as he'll need surgery, he's going to be out for the remainder of the 2021 season.