Getty New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley walks off the field.
This was supposed to be the season the New York Giants offense put it together — the season Daniel Jones cemented himself as the team’s answer under center. From the addition of a presumed bonafide No. 1 target in Kenny Golladay to the return of a blue-chip talent in Saquon Barkley to the selection of the ever-electric Kadarius Toney, the offense had the look of one of football’s more lethal units.
Clearly, that offense has fallen drastically short of expectations, with injuries playing a major reason as to why.
Giants Coach Has Words for Team’s Injury-Prone Skill Players
Per ESPN, the Giants lead the NFL in players on injured reserve and rank towards the top with 68 missed starts due to injury. Their top-six skill players (Golladay, Barkley, Toney, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton and Evan Engram) have each missed at least two games.
Of course, the Giants would love to get their offense churning on all cylinders. However, their players’ tendency to sport athleisure rather than pads come Sunday has made this awfully difficult to get any sort of consistency out of the league’s 26th ranked offense.
“Obviously, the first key element of getting the skill players involved is having them dress out on game day, which is a really important thing. It’s hard to get them the ball when they’re in the sweat suit,” tight ends coach Derek Dooley told reporters on December 9.
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Shepard & Golladay Good to Go vs. Bolts
In news that is likely music to Dooley’s ears, the Giants are expected to have both Golladay and Shepard in their lineup for their Week 14 bout with the Los Angeles Chargers, via ESPN:
New York Giants wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard are expected to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday.
Golladay and Shepard are both listed as questionable after being limited in practice Thursday and Friday. Golladay is nursing a rib injury, while Shepard has an injured quad.
Shepard, who hasn’t appeared in a game since Week 8, hinted at his return to the lineup while meeting with reports on December 9.
“I’m very optimistic that I’ll be able to be out there this week with the guys and hopefully that’s the case. It’s been a bum just sitting on the sideline watching the guys, especially on game day. It already hits me whenever I’ve got to watch them practice and I’m not able to help them out with some of the reps and stuff like that,” said Shepard. “Then on game days, obviously, that’s where you get all the juice and I still have that same fire, that same juice, but I’m not able to go out there and actually perform. It’ll feel good if I’m able to get out there this week and play with the guys.”
However, despite Shepard and Golladay being set to be in Big Blue’s lineup, quarterback Mike Glennon will once again be working with a depleted receiving corps. Toney, who leads the team with 35 receptions, will miss his third consecutive game due to an oblique and quad injury.