New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (toe) returned to practice on Tuesday, officially starting the 21-day clock on his activation from injured reserve.
The Giants have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday to move Shepard to their 53-man roster, which has an open spot after linebacker Lorenzo Carter (Achilles) landed on IR, in order for him to play against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Given the team’s lack of depth and talent at the wide receiver position, Shepard’s return would certainly be welcomed. And in the eyes of quarterback Daniel Jones, it could be a game-changer.
“It would be great [to get him back],” Jones told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s obviously a special player and can do a lot of different things. It would be great to have him back.”
Specifically, Jones credited Shepard with being one of the best route runners in football — a guy who is always where he’s supposed to be, which helps eliminates potential errors and turnovers.
“I think his physical tools. He’s an extremely explosive guy, he’s good in and out of cuts,” Jones said. “I think he’s as good of a route runner as there is in the league with what he can do in getting open and then catching the ball. You can trust him to separate from guys. He’s a tough guy to cover one on one.”
Trusting Shepard to separate from defenders should be the big takeaway there. The Giants’ receivers are among the league’s worst at creating separation and it’s been an area of consistent struggle all season.
Whether or not that is a result of talent, scheme or both is irrelevant at this point. The Giants simply need someone to step up and step in, create some separation and give Jones a solid target. If Shepard can do that upon his return, it will provide a significant boost and potentially open things up elsewhere on offense.
