Getty Golden Tate #15 and Darius Slayton #86 of the New York Giants run a route during the Blue and White scrimmage.
New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate returned to the practice field on Tuesday and has remained a participant ever since. This was on the heels of missing a week of practice with what has been classified as a lower-body injury. Yet, while his presence at practice would appear to bode well for his availability come Week 1, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan sounded a tad bit less optimistic, claiming the 11-year veteran didn’t “seem 100%” in Thursday’s session.
WR Golden Tate was participating in Thursday’s practice. Will be interesting to see how he’s listed later today on the injury report. Doesn’t seem 100%. #Giants
Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News has reported that Tate was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice. Although, his participation could be a bit misleading.
“All of these players were on the field during the individual period of practice open to media today, FYI,” Leonard said. “Something Joe Judge emphasizes is having players out on the field with the team even if they’re limited or held out.”
Tate’s Injury & What It Means for Giants Offense
Tate initially suffered the injury a week and a half ago during a 1-on-1 drill while facing off with teammate, defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry, in coverage. According to NewJersey.com’s Art Stapleton, Tate went tumbling after reaching awkwardly for a Daniel Jones deep pass, “clutching what appeared to be his right hamstring.”
Head coach Joe Judge, who comes from the Bill Belichick line of being discreet when it comes to injuries, initially labeled Tate day-to-day, making many believe the injury was minor.
However, any hamstring injury is always worth monitoring, especially with a player as explosive in short-areas such as Tate.
If for whatever reason Tate can’t give it a go this week, the Giants do still have a solid group of pass-catching options at their disposal, namely fellow receivers Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, as well as versatile tight end Evan Engram.
Still, the Giants could use all the help they can get vs. the Steelers, as Pittsburgh allowed the third-fewest passing yards in football a season ago.
The Giants did make a bit of a surprising move this past weekend when the opted to cut ties with former first-round draft pick Corey Coleman. The ex-Cleveland Brown was turning heads in training camp and appeared to have the WR4 gig all but cemented until his blindsiding release.
In Tate, the Giants have a receiver who topped 80 receiving yards in four of his first six games with Big Blue in 2019. The savvy veteran would go on to score six touchdowns over his 11-game campaign, the second-most in his career.
Thankfully for Tate and the Giants offense, the wideout has an extra day to get his body ready, as the team doesn’t take the field vs. the Steelers until Monday night.
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