The New York Giants are relatively healthy heading into training camp on Wednesday, but the team made a flurry of moves on Tuesday afternoon, placing a few players on the physically unable to perform list.
The majority of impact players on the PUP list are coming off significant injuries that were season-ending in 2021. Specifically, Sterling Shepard suffered a torn Achilles in the final game of the season, Nick Gates broke his leg in Week 2 against Washington, and Matt Peart suffered a torn ACL.
Per the New York Giants:
Three players have been placed on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list: wide receiver Sterling Shepard (Achilles tendon), center Nick Gates (leg) and tackle Matt Peart (knee).
In addition, linebacker Azeez Ojulari was put on the reserve/non-football injury (NFI) list with a hamstring injury.
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The most notable of the bunch is Azeez Ojulari, who suffered a tweaked hamstring during a training session last week. The expectation is that the hamstring won’t be a cumbersome injury down the line but rather a minor issue that should dissipate in the coming weeks.
As a rookie in 2021, Ojulari recorded 8.0 sacks, breaking the Giants’ rookie record. He also tallied 13 QB hits, eight tackles for loss, and 49 combined tackles. The Giants are excited about his potential, especially paired up with rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux.
With the Giants hiring defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, Ojulari needs as much experience as he can get before the start of the campaign. Luckily, he has plenty of time to work with before Week 1 on September 11 arrives.
As for the others, Shepard is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season rehabilitating from his torn Achilles. Gates may never play football again, despite ramping up his training sessions and beginning to put more weight on his injured leg. Peart is likely to miss a few weeks of the regular season as well recovering from the ACL injury.