new york giants kyler fackrell
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Edge rusher Kyler Fackrell is expected to return from injured reserve when the New York Giants face the Cowboys Sunday.

According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the New York Giants should be returning edge rusher Kyler Fackrell to the field when they take on the Cowboys in Week 17. Fackrell, who’s on injured reserve and was recently designated to return to practice, has been dealing with a calf injury and missed the team’s last four games.

The Giants have possessed reinforcements in Fackrell’s absence, but retuning the fifth-year outside linebacker would certainly be beneficial to a Giants pass rush that’s been lacking in productivity these last few weeks.

After sacking Russell Wilson five times in the Week 13 victory out in Seattle, the Giants notched just one sack in each of the losses to the Cardinals and Browns. In the most recent loss to Baltimore, Big Blue didn’t sack quarterback Lamar Jackson a single time.

It’s unclear if Fackrell would perform in a starting role if he does indeed return against the Cowboys, but regardless, he’d surely be used in a number of different sets and situations. Fackrell has started in eight of the 11 games he’s played in this season, having racked up 31 combined tackles, three sacks, nine quarterback hits, along with a 46-yard pick-six recorded in the Week 5 loss to Dallas.

Fackrell’s value is evident given he’s all that’s left from the team’s top four edge rushers from the beginning of the season. Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines are both done for the year and Markus Golden was traded prior to the deadline back in October.

The Giants would be grateful to receive production out of Fackrell this coming Sunday and potentially in the postseason if they make it that far, but his future in East Rutherford is unconfirmed. Fackrell only signed a one-year deal with the Giants in the offseason after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers. New York could potentially bring him back on another cheap, short-term deal, but that’s a decision the front office will need to make in the coming months.

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.