Sep 282022
 
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants (September 26, 2022)

Saquon Barkley – © USA TODAY Sports

GIANTS PLACE STERLING SHEPARD ON IR, PROMOTE FABIAN MOREAU…
As expected, the New York Giants have placed wide receiver Sterling Shepard on Injured Reserve. Sterling tore the ACL in his left knee against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. To fill his roster spot, the Giants signed cornerback Fabian Moreau to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. Moreau was temporarily elevated to the active roster for the past two games.

The Giants signed Moreau to the Practice Squad in early September. The 6’0”, 204-pound Moreau was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He has spent time with Washington (2017-2020), Atlanta Falcons (2021), and Houston Texans (2022). The Texans released him in August. Moreau has played in 78 regular-season games with 34 starts. In 2021, he started all 16 games for the Falcons and finished the season with 61 tackles, 11 pass defenses, and one fumble recovery.

On Tuesday, the Giants waived RB Antonio Williams. The Giants signed Williams in January 2022 to a reserve/future contract. The 5’11”, 215-pound Williams was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Bills after the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent most of his two seasons with the Bills on their Practice Squad.

The Giants still have one spot open on their 53-man roster.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
In addition to promoting cornerback Fabian Moreau to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad, the Giants also terminated the Practice Squad contract of LB Charles Wiley on Tuesday. The 6’2”, 251-pound Wiley was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft. The Ravens cut Wiley in late August 2022.

The Giants also signed WR Makai Polk and CB Olaijah Griffin to the Practice Squad on Wednesday.

The 21-year old, 6’3”, 197-pound Polk was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Baltimore Ravens after the 2022 NFL Draft. The Ravens waived him in late August. Polk was on the Practice Squad of the Ravens until they cut him on Tuesday.

The Giants claimed Olaijah Griffin off of waivers from the Buffalo Bills on August 15th and waived him two weeks later. The 23-year old, 6’0”, 175-pound Griffin was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Bills after the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie season the Bills’ Practice Squad.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The Giants conducted a walk-through practice on Wednesday. The following practice status is a projection:

WR Sterling Shepard (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), DL Leonard Williams (knee), OLB Jihad Ward (knee), CB Cor’Dale Flott (calf), and CB Nick McCloud (hamstring) would not have practiced on Wednesday.

CB Aaron Robinson (appendix) and CB Justin Layne (concussion) would have been limited in practice.

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday afternoon (12:45-2:30PM). The coordinators and select players will also address the media.

Sep 272022
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (September 26, 2022)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

STERLING SHEPARD DONE FOR THE SEASON…
As feared, wide receiver Sterling Shepard tore the ACL in his left knee on New York’s final offensive play against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. His season, and possibly career with the Giants, is over.

Shepard was selected in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Giants. Shepard started all 16 games in 2016 and 2018, but has now missed significant time due to injury in his five other seasons. He has never come close to cracking the 1,000-yard mark in a single season or duplicating his 8-touchdown season of his rookie campaign. In 2021, Shepard missed seven games with hamstring and quad injuries before tearing his left Achilles’ tendon in mid-December. He finished the year playing in seven games, catching just 36 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown. This year, through three games, Shepard had caught 13 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 BRIAN DABOLL PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Tuesday to discuss his team’s 23-16 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys (the VIDEO of the press conference is also available on YouTube):

Q: Just first off, wondering if you had any update on (wide receiver) Sterling Shepard?

A: Yeah. ACL. Got that news just about 15 minutes ago in the doctors’ meeting. And again, to reiterate what I said yesterday, he’s a tremendous person. He worked so diligently to get back, and (I) feel terrible for him that he had that injury. He’s a big part of our team, and we’ll miss him out on the field.

Q: As far as (tackle) Evan Neal, obviously a rough night. But is there anything like technically that you can pinpoint? Because I remember (tackle) Andrew Thomas’ rookie year, he was getting beat inside a lot. They hammered that point, and obviously he got better. Is there one specific thing you’re saying, ‘He needs to do this better,’ ‘We need to teach this better,’?

A: No. We just keep on building the technique. There’s growing pains. I would say it’s not just Ev (Evan Neal), which he got beat a couple times on the edge by a pretty good player. There was a lot of things we could have done better. And protection-wise after going through it, whether it’s the chips, the (running) backs, one-one-ones against the blitzers, the inside movement, the games inside. There was quite a bit of things. But Evan’s a diligent guy. We’ll work on improving him and try to be better next week.

Q: I’m curious when you went back and you looked at the tape, what did you see from your offensive line in regards to the pass protection, and why do you think it’s been a struggle here early this season?

A: Well, yesterday wasn’t just the line. Were there some plays that we got beat? Yeah. There were. I think everybody can do better. All of us, altogether. There was some stuff inside, like I said some games, some edge stuff. We can chip better. We can stay on a little bit longer. I think (offensive coordinator) Mike (Kafka) was trying to – we were going quick at times, trying to throw it quick, use seven-man protection. We used jams on I don’t know how many snaps. It was a lot. We can help in that area too and be better in those areas – whether it be tight end with the backs. Again, it was a good front. They got the best of us, and we’re going to have to continue to keep working to get better.

Q: And with Shepard out now obviously, where do you go with wide receiver? What do you look for the answer?

A: The guys that we have. Those guys are going to have to continue to work hard, build trust with the quarterback. They’ll be practicing, and hopefully we make some strides in that area.

Q: Are KT (wide receiver Kadarius Toney) and (wide receiver) Wan’Dale (Robinson) any closer? I mean, how close are they at this point?

A: They’re getting closer. Will they be ready this week? I can’t answer that yet. And from the meeting I just had with the doctors, they’re getting closer. But we’re not out of the blue yet with it.

Q: When you look back at last night and the way Daniel played given the unrest that he was in and some of the things he created, what did you see there? And what kind of a step forward was that for him for a lack of a better way to put it?

A: I think he’s made steps each game. I thought he played well yesterday. He was under some duress. He escaped. He made some loose plays. He did some things with his feet. He made some good throws. He competed his tail off. I thought all the guys competed. I thought we played hard, and we competed for 60 minutes. We just lacked on some other things that caused us to have the result that we had. I thought he was really good on the sideline. Again, I think he’s improved every game. He’s really improved every practice, and he was a good leader out there. And he competed as hard as he could compete and gave us a chance.

Q: What did you think of (outside linebacker Kayvon) Thibodeaux and (outside linebacker Azeez) Ojulari in their first game? Why do you guys think you weren’t able to generate more of a pass rush?

A: They did a good job of blocking us. There was a couple in there that we had. Again, they were on their pitch count. I thought they gave good effort. Thibs’ (Kayvon Thibodeaux) first game as a pro. Did some good things, but some things we definitely need to get better and work at. But give (the) Dallas (Cowboys) credit, too. They did a good job of blocking us.

Q: And everybody knows your smart, tough, dependable. How much of dependable is available? Is that the same to you? Do you have to be available to be dependable?

A: Absolutely.

Q: Another question about Daniel. In a game like yesterday – when he plays well, he’s facing constant pressure, but the team doesn’t win or score enough points – in the long-term view, obviously, you guys are trying to evaluate him as ‘Is he our franchise quarterback?’ Do the results ultimately define that evaluation? Or is a game like yesterday a step forward for him to prove he’s the guy despite the results?

A: That’s a good question. I think what we try to do each week is just see where we’re at for that week – evaluate the performance. Again, we evaluate the performances on past, but I thought he made good strides. Obviously not scoring enough points, and we left some plays out there on the field. But the job that he did in terms of running the offense, handling things when things weren’t always perfect. The last play he threw that pick, but it really wasn’t on him. I thought that he’s making improvement. I think that’s important as we go throughout the season.

Q: First, real quick on the wide receivers, is there any need, desire – do you even have the wherewithal to bring in somebody else on the team at this point?

A: (General manager) Joe (Schoen) is always looking and his staff. But we have those guys right now who we have. And we’re going to expect them to come out here, keep improving, work hard. We have a couple guys on our practice squad right now that maybe they come into play; they’ve been picking up our stuff. So, we’ll see as we go.

Q: The question I had was just the kind of procedural stuff of getting the right personnel on the field. It seems like that was a bit of a struggle at times last night. There were a couple of times where you guys were scrambling around a little bit. You only had 10 men on the field for the Zeke (Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot) touchdown. How do you go about fixing that, and is that something that just kind of cropped up? Or were you seeing signs of that throughout the first two games?

A: No, no I mean look, on that play on the goal line (defensive coordinator), Wink (Martindale) called for a personnel group, and there was one player that didn’t go in. So, we need to do a good job of listening to the play caller’s instructions and go in and be ready to go.

Q: You won your first two games, pretty close games. I’m sure your message to the guys was, ‘We’re not going 17-0,’ or whatever. That probably wasn’t your message. What do you have to learn out of last night? This is now your first bit of adversity so to speak in terms of results. What’s your message to these guys going forward?

A: The same that it’s been since I started. Be consistent. It’s never as good as you think, never as bad as you think. There’s certain things from week to week that we need to improve on. Win with class, and lose with class. When you lose, you even lose with more class. Own it, accept responsibility, fix the things we need to fix and move on. You’re going to have these; this is fortunately a short week. The coaches are upstairs; they’re not going to get much sleep this week, but you move on pretty quickly in this league whether you win or lose. Again, the way they prepared, the things that they did during the week, the effort that they gave – that’s what we’re looking for. Now, there’s certain things that we all can fix to be better. From week to week, I’d say that changes. There’s a consistency in how we want to do things, but something might show up this week that didn’t show up last week. And now you got to place an emphasis on that, and go out there and be consistent in your preparation. Be consistent in how you practice and get ready to play a game.

Q: Did the doctors ever explain to you – you look at Shep’s (Sterling Shepard) injury, he’s just jogging along and all of the sudden. Did they ever say, ‘It’s just what happens,’?

A: I’m thinking the same thing as you watch it. He’s just slowing down. It could have happened, I’m not saying it happened, you see a couple of plays before where he turns when he’s running an in-cut and he’s extended. He went out there on the next play and did something. Again, it kind of looked like a freaky accident there.

Q: What do you do right now with (wide receiver) Kenny Golladay to make him someone who is contributing to winning efforts?

A: The same thing we try to do with all out guys is go out there, install the gameplan with them, work as hard as he can work, build trust with the quarterback and when he has opportunities to make plays, he goes out and makes them.

Q: Does any of this mystify even you – the great football mind you are? This is a guy who had a track record in Detroit (with the Lions); I’m not suggesting he was the best receiver in the league, but he had a track record. And now you see him dropping catches frankly at practice when we’re able to watch, and you see the same results in games.

A: Every situation is different. He’s trying to put his best foot forward, work as hard as he can and I’d say that you got to, again, be consistent with what we’re doing and keep on improving. And I know he’ll try to do that.

Q: How did you think Kenny played last night?

A: He had a couple of opportunities there to go ahead and make plays. I thought he played with good effort. Obviously, we’d like to finish the play at the end of that drive in the fourth quarter, and I know he would like to, too. Again, he did the things that we asked him to do in terms of being in the right spot; and now we just got to work on finishing those things.

Q: One on Daniel, it’s kind of a play on some of the other questions that were asked. How difficult on a night like that when he is being pressured – how much do you put on the offensive line? How much do you put on the receivers? And how difficult is it to evaluate long term when those other things are breaking down?

A: You never want that to happen, but that’s a good evaluation to get, too, particularly on a quarterback when they’re under pressure or things aren’t always perfect and how can you ad lib and make plays when it’s not just exactly like it is on the play diagram. I thought he did that well.

Q: One of the things you hear a lot when these injuries keep happening, especially here, is the turf in MetLife. I was wondering where you stand on that and if you’ve looked into that at all or if you have an opinion basically on the turf versus grass debate.

A: No, I know there’s been a lot of studies. Not just here but probably in every stadium. I think, again, you look at Shep’s injury it’s – he was jogging. I’m sure that throughout the season and the offseason that we’ll sit down and discuss those type of things.

NOTES…
The Giants have lost 11 consecutive prime time games since winning in San Francisco on Monday night on November 12, 2018. They have lost seven in a row and nine of their last 10 on Monday night.

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players address the media on Wednesday by conference call.

Sep 152022
 
Jihad Ward, New York Giants (September 11, 2022)

Jihad Ward – © USA TODAY Sports

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), OL Devery Hamilton (illness), CB Aaron Robinson (appendicitis), and CB Nick McCloud (hamstring) did not practice. Robinson underwent an appendectomy on Wednesday and has already been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), OC Jon Feliciano (lower leg), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee), OLB Azeez Ojulari (calf), and S Jason Pinnock (shoulder) were limited in practice on Thursday.

S Dane Belton (clavicle) fully practiced.

THE COACHES SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice again on Friday afternoon (12:15-1:45PM). Head Coach Brian Daboll, position coaches, and select players will also address the media.

Aug 242022
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (October 24, 2021)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS MAKE EIGHT ROSTER MOVES…
The New York Giants have claimed the following three players off of waivers:

  • WR Bailey Gaither (from the Baltimore Ravens)
  • WR Jaylon Moore (from the Baltimore Ravens)
  • CB Harrison Hand (from the Minnesota Vikings)

To make room for these three, the Giants terminated the contract of tight end Jordan Akins and placed wide receivers Collin Johnson (torn Achilles) and Marcus Kemp (hamstring) on Injured Reserve. Johnson tore his right Achilles’ tendon in practice today. He has been impressing in camp and was receiving snaps with the first-team offense.

The Giants also terminated the contract of wide receiver Robert Foster with an injury settlement. Foster was placed on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury last Friday.

Although not officially announced, TheAthletic is also reporting that the Giants have signed tight end Tanner Hudson, who was waived by the San Fransisco 49ers yesterday.

The 25-year old, 6’0”, 188-pound Gaither was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Green Bay Packers after the 2021 NFL Draft.  He has spent time with the Packers (2021), Pittsburgh Maulers (2022), and Ravens (2022). He has not played in a regular-season NFL game.

The 25-year old, 5’11’, 191-pound Moore was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Ravens after the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons on Baltimore’s Practice Squad. He has not played in a regular-season NFL game.

The 23-year old, 5’11’, 197-pound Hand was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Vikings. In two seasons with Minnesota, Hand played in 23 regular-season games with one start, accruing 22 tackles, three pass defenses, and one interception.

The 27-year old, 6’5”, 239-pound Hudson was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the Buccaneers before being cut in August 2021. He was then signed by the San Francisco 49ers in September 2021 and spent most of the season on their Practice Squad. The 49ers waived him in late August 2022. Hudson has played in 22 regular-season games with one start. He has five career receptions for 67 yards.

The Giants signed Akins in April 2022 as an unrestricted free agent from the Houston Texans. The 6’4”, 243-pound Akins was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. 

The Giants claimed Johnson off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars in early September 2021. He ended up playing in 12 games for the Giants, with one start, and finished the season with 11 catches for 105 yards and no touchdowns. The 6’6”, 222-pound Johnson was originally drafted in the 5th-round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Jaguars. As a rookie for Jacksonville, he played in 14 NFL games with no starts, catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

The Giants sign Kemp as an unrestricted free agent from the Kansas City Chiefs in late July 2022. The 6’4”, 210-pound Kemp was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Chiefs after the 2017 NFL Draft. Other than a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins late in 2020, Kemp was with the Chiefs from 2017 until 2021. Kemp missed the 2019 season with a torn ACL and MCL knee injury. Overall, he has played in 44 regular-season games, primarily on special teams. Kemp only four career catches for 42 yards.

The Giants signed Foster as a street free agent in March 2022 after being waived by the Dallas Cowboys. The 6’2”, 196-pound Foster was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Buffalo Bills after the 2018 NFL Draft. He has spent time with the Bills (2018-2020), Green Bay Packers (2020), Washington Football Team (2020), Miami Dolphins (2021), and Cowboys (2021-2022).

AUGUST 24, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT – STERLING SHEPARD RETURNS…
LG Shane Lemieux (foot), OL Garrett McGhin (unknown), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee), LB Jihad Ward (unknown), LB Elerson Smith (ankle/foot), CB Rodarius Williams (unknown), S Dane Belton (broken left collarbone), and PK Graham Gano (concussion) did not practice.

When asked about Gano, Head Coach Brian Daboll replied, “He’s making progress. We still could (sign another kicker for this week), but if he’s ready to go toward the end of the week, we probably won’t, obviously.”

WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring?) was limited to individual drills. WR C.J. Board (ribs) also was limited.

WR Collin Johnson tore his right Achilles’ tendon in practice. His season is over. RB Matt Breida (heat?) left with trainers halfway through practice.

WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles) passed his team physical and was activated off of the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. He practiced for the first time since suffering his injury last season. “We’ll kind of ramp him up,” said Daboll before practice. “We’ll ramp him up just like we did when the other guys come back. But he’s done a good job in his rehab, and it’ll be good to have him out there.”

HEAD COACH BRIAN DABOLL…
The transcript of Brian Daboll’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available on YouTube.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants will hold a joint practice with the New York Jets on Thursday from 11:30AM to 1:30PM. Head Coach Brian Daboll and select players will also address the media.

Apr 042022
 
Adoree' Jackson, New York Giants (November 7, 2021)

Adoree’ Jackson – © USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK GIANTS OFFSEASON PROGRAM BEGINS…
The New York Giants offseason program began on Monday. Because the Giants have a new head coach, the team can start their voluntary offseason workout program two weeks before other teams with returning coaches. The 9-week program is intended to provide players with training, instruction, and physical strength and conditioning.

We’ve had good attendance,” said Head Coach Brian Daboll. “Obviously, everything’s voluntary, we understand that. But there was a packed house… I’m not going to get into who was, who wasn’t (here), I’d just say we’ve had good attendance and I told the guys how much I appreciate that, knowing that it’s all voluntary.”

  • April 4: New York Giants offseason program begins.
  • April 19-21: New York Giants voluntary mini-camp (allowed for teams with new coaches).
  • May 16-17: New York Giants OTA #1 and #2.
  • May 19: New York Giants OTA #3 (media access).
  • May 23-24: New York Giants OTA #4 and #5.
  • May 26: New York Giants OTA #6 (media access).
  • May 31-June 1: New York Giants OTA #7 and #8.
  • June 2: New York Giants OTA #9 (media access).
  • June 3: New York Giants OTA #10.
  • June 7-9: New York Giants mandatory mini-camp.

Each NFL team may also hold a rookie football development program for a period of seven weeks, which in 2022 may begin on May 16. During this period, no activities may be held on weekends, with the exception of one post-Draft rookie mini-camp. The Giants will hold their rookie mini-camp on May 13-15.

Per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teams are only allowed to hold voluntary offseason activities over the course of a 9-week period in three phases:

Phase One: Activities during this 2-week period are limited to to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase Two: On-field workouts during this 3-week period may include may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect-play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.

Phase Three: Activities during this 4-week period include 10 days of organized team practice activity (OTAs) and a mandatory veteran mini-camp. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.

GIANTS RE-STRUCTURE ADOREE’ JACKSON’S CONTRACT…
The New York Giants have re-structured cornerback Adoree’ Jackson’s contract. Jackson signed a 3-year, $39 million deal with the Giants last offseason after he was cut by the Tennessee Titans. The team has now converted $8.965 million of that contract into a signing bonus with a void year added, creating $5.98 million in cap space. 

The Giants are believed to be about $7 million under the current salary cap. They will need that amount and more to sign their draft picks after the 2022 NFL Draft.

APRIL 4, 2022 BRIAN DABOLL PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Monday to discuss the start of the team’s voluntary offseason program. The transcript is available in The Corner Forum, while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

Mar 102022
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (October 24, 2021)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants and wide receiver Sterling Shepard have reached an agreement on a restructured contract. While financial details of the new contract are not known, Shepard had two years left on his previous contract and that has now been reduced to one year. He will now become a free agent in 2023 rather than 2024.

Shepard was scheduled to count $12.495 million against the 2022 salary cap with $8,475,000 in salary. He also would have counted $13.495 million against the 2023 salary cap. The Giants signed Shepard to a 4-year, $41 million extension in April 2019 and also re-structured his contract during the 2021 season. If the Giants had cut Shepard, they would have saved $4.505 million against the salary cap but also have been hit with $7.99 million in dead money.

Shepard had a horrible season in 2021, culminating with a torn left Achilles’ tendon injury in mid-December. Before that, Shepard had already missed seven games with hamstring and quad injuries. He finished the year playing in seven games, catching just 36 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown. He also dropped four passes.

Shepard was selected in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Giants. Shepard started all 16 games in 2016 and 2018, but has now missed significant time due to injury in his four other seasons. He has never come close to cracking the 1,000-yard mark in a single season or duplicating his 8-touchdown season of his rookie campaign (he now has 21 career touchdowns).

Mar 032022
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (September 12, 2021)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

GIANTS ASK STERLING SHEPARD TO ACCEPT PAY CUT…
The New York Post is reporting that the New York Giants have requested that wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in December 2021, accept a “significant” pay cut. Shepard is currently scheduled to count $12.495 million against the 2022 salary cap with $8,475,000 in salary. The Giants signed Shepard to a 4-year, $41 million extension in April 2019 and also re-structured his contract during the 2021 season. His current contract is set to expire in 2024.

If the Giants cut Shepard, they would save $4.505 million against the salary cap but be hit with $7.99 million in dead money.

Shepard had a horrible season in 2021, culminating with a torn left Achilles’ tendon injury in mid-December. Before that, Shepard had already missed seven games with hamstring and quad injuries. He finished the year playing in seven games, catching just 36 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown. He also dropped four passes.

Shepard was selected in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Giants. Shepard started all 16 games in 2016 and 2018, but has now missed significant time due to injury in his four other seasons. He has never come close to cracking the 1,000-yard mark in a single season or duplicating his 8-touchdown season of his rookie campaign (he now has 21 career touchdowns).

Dec 202021
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (December 19, 2021)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

ROSTER MOVES – SEASON OVER FOR DANIEL JONES AND STERLING SHEPARD…
The New York Giants have placed QB Daniel Jones (neck) and WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles’ tendon) on Injured Reserve. The season is officially over for both players. Jones suffered the neck injury on November 28th against the Philadelphia Eagles and has missed the last three games. Shepard ruptured his Achilles’ tendon late in the game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Senior Vice President, Medical Services/Head Athletic Trainer Ronnie Barnes released the following statement on Jones: “Over the course of the past few weeks, Daniel has been examined by Dr. Frank Cammisa of Hospital for Special Surgery and Dr. Robert Watkins of the Marina Spine Center at Marina Del Rey Hospital. Our medical team has continued to consult with Dr. Cammisa and Dr. Watkins regarding Daniel’s condition and symptoms, and at this point, Daniel has not been cleared for contact. We felt the prudent decision was to place Daniel on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. With continued rest and treatment, we expect a full recovery.”

To fill these roster spots, the Giants signed LB Jaylon Smith and CB Jarren Williams to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad. In addition, CB Keion Crossen was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List.

DECEMBER 20, 2021 JOE JUDGE PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Joe Judge addressed the media on Monday to discuss his team’s 21-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys:

Opening Statement:I appreciate your patience. The organization has already released a statement most of you guys are aware of. Over the last few weeks, there have been a lot of discussions and conversations between the organization and the medical team concerning (Quarterback) Daniel Jones and his return to play. Over the last 24 hours, there has been a lot more conversation and based on the information from the medical team and their belief in a timetable for Daniel’s full recovery, and their belief with rest and treatment that he’ll return to full health, they deemed that the remainder of this season he should be shut down to give him that time to heal. I’ve been adamant in saying that with all the information we’ve been given from the doctors involved and the medical team that there is no, at this moment, concern for a long-term injury, that this is more of a precautionary measure to make sure it’s something that isn’t aggravated or agitated before it’s healed and it doesn’t turn into something as chronic or long-term. I’m not going to speak for Daniel on this in terms of how he feels. I think it’s clear that he’s a guy that always wants to be out there with the team. He’s very competitive, he’s a great leader on the team, a big team player. I’ll let him speak for himself in time. At this time, our concern is on Daniel’s health. He’s been doing a good job. He’s out there moving very functionally, but ultimately this is about making sure that his neck has a full recovery before we put him out there and before he’s cleared for contact. That being said, I’ll open up to any questions you have.

Q: Obviously, we have to move on at the quarterback position, so with (Quarterback) Jake (Fromm), how did you feel he looked yesterday? After talking to your staff and everything and after his evaluation, do you feel there’s a possibility that he starts Sunday? Is he going to be your guy?

A: We’re going to look at (Quarterback) Mike (Glennon) and Jake throughout this week. We’ll watch Jake practice and we’ll make the decision going into the game. I’d say in terms of his performance yesterday in the game, obviously he came in at the end of the game, was able to move the offense, really give them a spark. Thought he moved the ball well, thought he made some good decisions, good sharp decisions. Showed good ball security in the pocket on the one he got hit on with the rush up the middle. Did a good job functioning within the operation. Thought he got the guys up to the line, got the call in, was able to navigate through the situation to put accurate passes on our receivers and give them a chance to make plays. Jake did enough to be in consideration. We’ll see how practice goes. Obviously, there’s a big difference between starting an entire NFL game and coming in at the end of the game when the team is playing more of a two-minute prevent mode. That’s not a knock on Jake, it’s just the reality and the truth. We’ll get Mike and Jake ready for this week and we’ll make the determination of who’s going to start at a later time.

Q: What’s the future right now – for Daniel Jones – look like in regards to anything he has to do? Is surgery an option? Does he just have to rest or is there anything else he can do at this point?

A: At this point, it’s just rest. It’s rest, it’s treatment, it’s continuing on with some of the rehab type of exercises he would do for it. This is really contact-based. There’s no surgery that’s even being talked about or mentioned at this point. Surgery is not an option at this point. There’s nothing that would lead us to believe that he would need surgery for this. It’s purely a timetable deal as far as this injury. Again, the medical team has been monitoring how the neck has progressed over the last few weeks. They didn’t think they saw enough progress to clear him for contact and with the time remaining in the season, they didn’t believe it was going to be the smartest move to put him out there. They didn’t think he would be fully healed within that timetable and the best thing for him right now is to start on having a full recovery with rest and treatment.

Q: You guys have been going, obviously, week-to-week with this, looking at scans, getting hopes up, then getting hopes down. Does this maybe help with some clarity for everybody? And can you just talk about maybe what a downer this is for you and for Daniel that your starting quarterback is going to miss the last six games of the season here?

A: Obviously, you want to have Daniel on the field. This is a guy that works hard. He’s obviously a key part of our team. He worked really hard in the offseason, made a lot of gains. Saw a lot of progress throughout different parts of the season with him. You want to get Daniel on the field. It’s a quarterback-driven league and obviously Daniel’s our quarterback. That being said, we’ve got to get all of the players ready to play. It’s a great opportunity for Mike and Jake to step up and help this team have success. In terms of the clarity part of the question, I don’t really think that’s been an issue. We’ve kind of planned accordingly internally and the players have gone ahead and responded the right way and kept on moving forward. In terms of any kind of clarity of preparation, I don’t think that’s been an issue at all.

Q: Just from the football perspective, you’re missing a big period of evaluation here on Daniel. You’ve got a decision on his fifth-year option coming this offseason. Have you seen enough to know that he’s your guy going forward?

A: Yeah, I’ve seen enough growth from Daniel to tell us that he’s a guy we want to go ahead and play with. In terms of the business aspect of it and different things, I’ll let different departments of this organization handle that stuff. I’ll coach the players. When it comes down to Daniel, our concern right now is getting him back and healthy, and getting him prepared for next year.

Q: After listening to you for the last three or four weeks, you’ve been talking about a strained neck. If you’re shutting him down for the season, it sounds like it’s more than a strained neck.

A: It’s a sprained neck and, again, I wouldn’t go ahead and put any diagnosis out there off of assumptions. I think that that would be irresponsible. I would just say the doctors who have dealt with him directly, who get paid a lot of money for their medical expertise, made the decision that he needs more time and that’s what we’re going to give him.

Q: I know you said that you’re confident that this isn’t going to be a long-term issue once it heals. Does that mean once it heals and he’s back on the field ostensibly in the fall next year that he will be in no danger of having a setback with it or it happening again?

A: That is the conversation we had this morning at length and we’ve had over the course of the past few weeks, but we had that conversation at length this morning. That’s a question I specifically asked repeatedly to make sure and from what I was told, that is the case, that this would not be an issue going forward if we give this time now to heal fully. This would not be something we have to worry about in the future at all. That’s what I was told.

Q: Obviously, the quarterback situation is something we’ve covered and will continue to cover this week. You guys have another COVID-positive today or at least (Defensive Back) Keion Crossen was placed on the list. You made two signings with (Linebacker) Jaylon (Smith) and (Cornerback) Jarren (Williams). Do you anticipate kind of an upside-down week the same way you did last week? How are you guys handling this moving forward knowing that there are a lot of moving pieces still and a lot of things up in the air?

A: I think we’re just used to the moving pieces. We just go ahead and we get everybody ready, and that kind of helps you with the adjustments you have to make. We don’t get so locked into it has to be this guy or this guy and then when one of those two are removed, all of a sudden you’re in disarray. That’s not really how we operate around here. We’re getting everybody ready. Not having Keion, obviously, that’s a player we want to have for his roles in the kicking game and also on defense for depth. But, we’ll have the guys who are available to us, we’ll know more through tomorrow and we’ll plan accordingly. There’s an opportunity for some guys to come off the COVID list before the game and we’ll see what that’s going to entail in terms of the ramp up period and whether or not they’ll be available, or have a realistic chance to go out there and play for us. We’ll get everyone prepared, whether it’s in person or through Zoom, make sure we monitor everybody’s health, make sure, number one, that they’re healthy and, number two, that when we put them on the field we can assure they can go out there, function, operate and be safe.

Some of the guys will get back at an earlier date. We expect to have KT (Wide Receiver Kadarius Toney) back in the building with us midweek and get him moving out there and we’ll see how he looks. Obviously, he missed some time from injury and now with COVID. We’ll see how that set him back and give him the opportunity to go out there, move around and see if he can help us this week or not. We’ll get everybody prepared and ready. In terms of the signings, Jaylon and Jarren, I thought Jaylon got in the game yesterday and obviously had about four to six hours of coaching to get him ready for the game. Had a walkthrough with the defense. I really liked the way this guy responded and he’s been a pleasure to coach in the short window we’ve had. He went out there, he played fast, he’s able to go ahead and get his hat on a few people to make some plays. Obviously, it’s very new to him in this system, but I liked the way he responded. I liked the temperament he plays with, I like the look in his eyes when you meet with him in terms of being locked in and engaged to what’s going on in the meetings. He’s been a pleasure to have in the program so far. We’ll keep him involved as well and grow his role throughout this week. Jarren’s a guy that’s been doing a decent job for us playing defense, some roles in the kicking game. He’ll continue to progress his roles. He’s a guy that was set back a little bit with injury early in the season and really kind of stunted some of his growth and development, but he’s done a good job since being back with us on making some strides and he’s done some things that have really grown within him. I think he’s a guy that’s got a future that we can go ahead and keep on developing with, but I like the way Jarren works and I think there’s some upside with him as a player. He definitely has the right attitude as a person.

Q: To go back to Daniel, in the past you talked a lot about his toughness and we’ve seen him play through some tough injuries in the past. I’m curious how he took the news and if you could share what your message was to him going through this.

A: First thing I want to touch on is exactly what you started the question off with in terms of toughness. This injury is in no way, shape or form a reflection of a lack of toughness, I can assure everyone that. He’s been chomping at the bit, doing his best to get out there and do everything that’s been asked of him. This is a decision that’s out of the hands of a player, out of the hands of a coaching staff. This is a medical decision and we’re not going to put anybody on the field who’s at risk of injury. Daniel in this case, they believe, would be in that category, so we’re not going to do something that puts him at risk. In terms of what we expect from him, continue being a good teammate, continuing to just work and stay in shape, get healthy, keep progressing with his knowledge of the system and the offense, keep being a leader and a good teammate and stay active and engaged and communicating with the coaches and the players as he’s been doing throughout the entire time he’s been hurt.

Q: Everybody is hoping for the best for Daniel, but that said, (Quarterback) Mike (Glennon) is going to be a free agent this season. You don’t know for sure what’s going to happen with Daniel. You’re optimistic he will be okay, but you don’t know for sure. That said, do you feel that addressing the quarterback spot is going to have to be something you’re going to have to look into this offseason?

A: This has nothing to do with Daniel. I trust the medical team and the information we’re given. We expect a full recovery and our vision would be to move forward with Daniel in the future. I’ll let the business part take care of the business part. We’re always looking at our depth charts and rosters, not just for this year, but as they go into future years and you can only do that based on what the current contracts lock you into. As we get to the free agency part and the draft part, we’ll address that, but we look at every position on our team and evaluate it every year in terms of what’s the best thing we can do to improve our team and keep moving forward.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and return to practice on Wednesday.

Dec 172021
 

Come for the free soda!

DECEMBER 17, 2021 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The New York Giants did not hold their regular on Friday due to concerns about COVID-19. Instead, they held a brief walk-thru followed by virtual meetings. The following injury report is more of a projection.

The only player listed as not “practicing” was OG Ben Bredeson (ankle). He is officially listed as “doubtful” for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Not on the official injury list, but also not practicing due to being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List were WR Kadarius Toney, WR John Ross, LB Cam Brown, LB Oshane Ximines, CB Aaron Robinson, CB Adoree’ Jackson (also dealing with a quad injury), S Xavier McKinney, and S J.R. Reed.

Reed was added to the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Friday along with Practice Squad S Natrell Jamerson. None of the COVID players are expected to play with the possible exception of McKinney since he is close contact player who has tested negative.

Limited in “practice” were QB Daniel Jones (neck), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), WR Sterling Shepard (calf), TE Kyle Rudolph (ankle), LT Andrew Thomas (ankle), DE Leonard Williams (triceps), NT Austin Johnson (foot), NT Danny Shelton (calf), LB Reggie Ragland (illness), CB Jarren Williams (illness), and S Steven Parker (illness).

Jones has been ruled out of the game. Shepard, Johnson, and Leonard Williams are “questionable.” The rest are expected to play.

LB Benardrick McKinney (illness), LB Elerson Smith (illness), and PK Graham Gano (illness) fully practiced. All three are expected to play on Sunday.

ROSTER MOVES…
The Giants have activated DL David Moa from the Practice Squad as a COVID-19 replacement.

The team also signed LB Jaylon Smith to the Practice Squad. The 26-year old, 6’2”, 243-pound Smith was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Smith was with the Cowboys until October 2021 when the team cut him. He spent a month with the Green Bay Packers before they cut him in early November. Smith has played in 70 regular-season games with 56 starts. He suffered serious knee injuries in college and his rookie season in the NFL.

The Giants also waived S Quincy Wilson off of Injured Reserve with an injury settlement. The Giants placed Wilson on Injured Reserve in August 2021 with an ankle injury that he suffered in the preseason. The 6’2”, 193-pound Wilson was originally drafted in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He has spent time with Colts (2017-2019) and New York Jets (2020). The Giants signed Wilson to the Practice Squad in November 2020.

HEAD COACH JOE JUDGE…
The transcript of Joe Judge’s press conference on Friday is available in The Corner Forum.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
There is no media availability to the Giants on Saturday. The team plays the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Dec 092021
 
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (November 15, 2020)

Sterling Shepard – © USA TODAY Sports

DECEMBER 9, 2021 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The New York Giants practiced on Thursday at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.

The only player to not practice was CB Adoree’ Jackson (quad).

Limited in practice were QB Daniel Jones (neck), QB Mike Glennon (concussion), WR Kenny Golladay (rib), WR Kadarius Toney (oblique), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), and WR Sterling Shepard (quad). However, according to press reports, Toney was very limited, joining trainers on the sidelines later in practice.

“At this moment, there is no information of leading us any way, shape, or form to think there’s a threat long-term,” said Head Coach Joe Judge of Daniel Jones before practice. “We’re still optimistic and pushing forward to prepare him to be back on the field this year. When the doctors clear him for contact and they say he’s good to go, we’ll have him ready to go. That’s where we’re at right now and we’ve prepared him throughout this week that if he got cleared for contact. That’s where I’m at with everything.

“I know there’s a lot of question marks around Daniel’s status. There’s a lot of question marks internally as well because a lot of this stuff is coming from doctors looking to make sure he’s making decisions on someone who’s in a position because of the neck. We’re going to be very deliberate and cautious with how we make this decision.”

GIANTS RE-SIGN WR TO PRACTICE SQUAD…
The Giants have re-signed WR Travis Toivonen to the Practice Squad. The 6’4”, 212-pound Toivonen went undrafted in 2020. The Seattle Seahawks signed him in June 2021 and waived him in late August. The Giants then signed him to the Practice Squad in October and cut him in early November.

THE COACHES SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice again on Friday. Head Coach Joe Judge and select players will also address the media.