Jason Pierre-Paul is back.
Well, sort of.
The defensive end made his first appearance at a Giants practice since his sports hernia surgery in early December on Wednesday, sauntering into the fieldhouse while the rest of the team was in the early stages of its workout. Pierre-Paul was wearing a practice jersey but no pads and no cleats, so he is not yet ready to participate in football activities. But his presence alone seemed to inspire his teammates.
He exchanged happy hugs and handshakes with the defensive linemen, shared a few playful pushes with defensive tackle Damon Harrison, and even wrestled a bit with fellow defensive end Olivier Vernon.
It's unlikely Pierre-Paul will be able to play on Sunday in a wild-card game in Green Bay, but the Giants have always been hopeful that he could return for a divisional-round game if they advanced that far. He is four weeks removed from a surgery that was said to have a recovery period of four to six weeks.
Pierre-Paul appeared to be the only Giants player not participating in the practice. Tight end Jerell Adams (shoulder), safety Nat Berhe (concussion), tackle Bobby Hart (forearm), cornerback Janoris Jenkins (back), defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (hamstring) and cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (ankle) are all on this week's injury report and all were seen going through drills. They're expected to be limited.
