New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur says the team has to use “good judgment” when it comes to Sterling Shepard’s injury.
The New York Giants are officially riding a five-game losing streak after Monday night’s defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. In four of those matchups, they’ve been without their No. 1 wide receiver Sterling Shepard. The four-year pro is currently nursing a concussion and has been in and out of the protocol.
Shepard was initially supposed to play against the Cowboys. However, his symptoms returned over the weekend, prompting the Giants to rule him out. On Tuesday, head coach Pat Shurmur spoke on a conference call and updated reporters on what the next steps will be.
“This is a serious injury and in my mind, it requires a serious response,” Shurmur said, per Tom Rock of Newsday. “We’re going to make sure he’s well when he goes back out there.”
Shepard additionally missed the Giants’ Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills due to his initial protocol trip. Being that the team has already cleared and re-entered him into the protocol multiple times, New York wants to exercise extra caution before his next return.
“We have to use good judgment and we have to be very deliberate about guys coming back from injuries such as this,” Shurmur said. “You watch them practice, you see how they respond to it, how they handle it the next day…. I’m not concerned about it, I just think we have to be smart and be very observant in these situations and try to make good decisions because player safety is certainly on the front burner for us.”
Through four games this year, Shepard has caught 25 balls for 267 yards and one touchdown.
