Few would say that the New York Giants are a primetime team based on their performance this season, but that’s the case as they have a Thursday Night Football game coming up with the Eagles. The team has suffered from a number of injuries this season that may hurt their performance in that game. However, one injured player, Sterling Shepard, may make his return.
We’ll probably know the answer sooner rather than later as the Giants have a short week to prepare for this one given the Thursday night date. What we do know for now is that Shepard practiced on Tuesday and hasn’t been eliminated from making a return against the Eagles.
Giants’ Sterling Shepard practiced today, might play Thursday. If he can’t, Alex Bachman or Derrick Dillon could be activated from the practice squad. The two WRs, QB Clayton Thorson, OLB Trent Harris are Giants’ four practice squad protections this week. https://t.co/lizoe57RLz
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) October 20, 2020
What this return means for the Giants
Shepard has only appeared in two games this season. The first was the season opener where he played the entire game and caught all six of the passes targeted at him. However, his total statistics could have been better as he finished the game with a relatively low 47 yards. The second game Shepard appeared in is the one where he was injured. He registered 2 catches for 29 yards up until that point, and hasn’t played since.
The return of Shepard would be useful to quarterback Daniel Jones, who threw for one touchdown and one interception against Washington and has been under the magnifying glass of the fans and the media this season. With the team suffering from a slow start and with Dave Gettleman on the hot seat, it’s also believed that Jones might not have 100% job security as one of Gettleman’s most known draft picks.
But with Shepard, Jones will have another one of his main weapons and we’ll once again get to see the combination of Shepard and Darius Slayton playing at the same time. With healthy tight end Evan Engram thrown into the mix, the Giants appear to have a dangerous receiving game ready to face the Eagles.