The New York Giants picked up something of an injury problem going into training camp – the team lost several players to injuries in the opening days of camp, to varying degrees of injuries. Some players had to be taken off the field with minor problems like cramps but would return in the coming days, while others such as Corey Coleman suffered a bit more. Coleman, after all, tore his ACL which will put him out of the season’s plans entirely.
Star wide receiver Sterling Shepard will miss the preseason, but should come back for week one and take his spot in the starting lineup once again. Others still have a chance of returning as the preseason continues, and a few names that fans will immediately recognize are on that list: notably, Alec Ogletree and Sam Beal.
Injury updates: LB Alec Ogletree has a little bit of a calf strain, Shurmur says. RB Wayne Gallman has a foot strain. Shurmur hopes to see some of the injured scratches from last night get back on the field this week, including rookie WR Darius Slayton.
— Dan Salomone (@Dan_Salomone) August 9, 2019
Ogletree went down with a calf strain against the Jets and it isn’t clear when he’ll be able to return to action. Beal, on the other hand, is suffering from hamstring problems and has been since early in camp. It’s not as bad as the shoulder injury that ended Beal’s rookie season during training camp, but it does make things tougher for Beal at the crowded defensive back position, which features competition from a number of other young players.
Neither player practiced on Sunday, which is somewhat predictable. It’s only the second week of the preseason and there’s no need to take risks just yet – furthermore, Ogletree’s injury is recent and therefore we can expect him to have a longer recovery time than Beal, who was injured earlier in training camp.
However, first round draft pick Deandre Baker didn’t suit up for Sunday’s practice either after being injured in individual drills, and Grant Haley’s status is still questionable. It means the position group might just be thinner than it seemed initially, thanks to other players going down at the position.
The Giants have a few more weeks of the preseason to get things sorted out on the injury front after a rough start to training camp in that area – it remains to be seen, though, whether or not the team will pick up more injuries in the coming three games. One would hope not, and if the trend continues, some of the blame may lie with the Giants conditioning staff.