Teams around the NFL are getting their rookies, drafted and undrafted, adjusted to the professional level with training camps quickly approaching. On Thursday, one of the undrafted free agents the New York Giants signed suffered an unfortunate Achilles injury that is likely to prevent him from playing at all in the 2026-27 campaign.
Reports indicate that Thaddeus Dixon, a cornerback who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels last season, suffered a torn Achilles tendon during workouts on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Injuries have seemingly been an issue for Dixon, as the 24-year-old defender fell in the 2026 NFL Draft due to a hamstring issue he was dealing with at UNC.
“Giants CB Thaddeus Dixon, an UDFA from North Carolina, tore his Achilles yesterday during workouts, sources say,” reported Rapoport. “An unfortunate injury for a rookie whose hamstring injury helped lead him to be undrafted.”
Dixon, who transferred to North Carolina before the 2025-26 season after playing for the Washington Huskies for two years, played just seven games for the Tar Heels as a redshirt senior. The hamstring injury forced Dixon to miss half of the final year of his collegiate career, and those health concerns remained prevalent throughout the draft process.
He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Giants shortly after the draft. Although he is a rookie, Dixon seemingly has some upside before the Achilles injury due to the amount of experience he brought to the table as a prospect. He ended his collegiate career playing 34 games at the D-1 level, recording 88 combined tackles (59 solo), five tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and 22 pass deflections.
Teams around the NFL are getting their rookies, drafted and undrafted, adjusted to the professional level with training camps quickly approaching. On Thursday, one of the undrafted free agents the New York Giants signed suffered an unfortunate Achilles injury that is likely to prevent him from playing at all in the 2026-27 campaign.