The New York Giants lost one of their top pass-rushers for the season when tests Monday confirmed that outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter ruptured an Achilles tendon.
Carter, who was carted off the field during Sunday's 37-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, will undergo surgery later this week. He is expected back for the start of next season.
Carter had 14 tackles and one sack entering Sunday's game in Arlington, Texas. He led the Giants with nine quarterback pressures the first four weeks, according to Next Gen Stats. He is tied for the team lead with four quarterback hits.
It's a big loss to a Giants defense that had been surprisingly efficient early this season. Carter was playing 89% of the team's defensive snaps prior to the noncontact injury in the first quarter on Sunday.
"He's an integral part of this team. He's a great dude in the locker room. He's a blast to coach," coach Joe Judge said. "Good news for him is they can do remarkable things with these injuries to get him back on the field as soon as possible.
"With that being said, we won't see him back this year. We're going to miss having a guy like that out there for a lot of different reasons. Our thoughts and prayers obviously go out to him for what he's worked to do, and we appreciate what he's done for this team and look forward to getting him back next year."
Veteran Markus Golden, who was previously being used almost exclusively as a pass-rush specialist, took most of the snaps in Carter's place. He is expected to have a bigger role moving forward, with rookies Carter Coughlin and Cam Brown also in the mix.
The Giants are now short on pass-rushers behind Golden and Kyler Fackrell, who is tied for the team lead with 2.0 sacks. They also placed outside linebacker Oshane Ximines on injured reserve last week. He will miss at least three games, although Judge said "there is hope for him to come back soon." A midseason return is realistic.
Carter, 24, is in his third season out of the University of Georgia. The Giants came into this year with high expectations for the former third-round pick, expecting a breakout season.
Carter had 8.5 sacks his first two professional seasons. He was second on the Giants with 33 quarterback pressures last season.
"Lorenzo Carter is a great player," defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson said. "He was having a great season so far. Missing him is going to be a key to our defense. But we have some other guys also at that position who can take up that role that Lorenzo left."