New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard hasn’t missed much practice since fracturing his thumb early in training camp, often donning a yellow non-contact jersey that’s supposed to keep him away from the action even though it hasn’t.
On Sunday, as the Giants returned to practice in East Rutherford, so to did Shepard — only this time, there was no yellow caution jersey as it’s been officially sidelined.
“I didn’t think the yellow jersey was doing much anyway. It’s not that big of a difference,” Shepard told reporters, clarifying that team doctors told him he could ditch it.
“He’s been cleared all along to be out here, as we all saw. It’s just the next step in the process. He’s fine,” head coach Pat Shurmur said.
As positive a development as that may be for the Giants and Shepard, don’t expect to see him suit up in either of the team’s final two preseason games.
“If I could go, I would be going. I can’t go right now, it’s not ready to play in a game and I know that. Give it a couple more weeks and I feel like it will be. You don’t want to go out there and risk another injury when you can prevent that,” Shepard said.
A few more weeks puts Shepard in line to return against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, which is precisely what he has in mind.
“I don’t see anything that can hold me back right now, unless something was to happen in practice. I’m on pace,” Shepard said of a Week 1 return.
