The anticipated horrendous news regarding Sterling Shepard has arrived.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll confirmed to the media Tuesday the veteran receiver has torn his left ACL. Shepard fell to the turf with an apparent non-contact left knee injury at the end of Monday night’s loss to Dallas. He is now out for the year after only three games.
This is the second straight year in which Shepard has suffered a season-ending injury. Last year, his season concluded in Week 15 after an Achilles tear. He miraculously returned for Weeks 1-3 of this season, but will once again spend much of the year on the sidelines. Shepard missed 10 games in 2021 and will miss another 14 in 2022.
This likely means Shepard’s playing career with the Giants is over. General manager Joe Schoen was able to bring the receiver back on a reduced salary last offseason. But the 29-year-old will be a likely cut candidate when the front office overhauls the roster next offseason.
With the Giants now down a starting receiver for the rest of the year, one of their most disappointing position groups is becoming that much more of a disaster.
The coaching staff doesn’t seem to value Kenny Golladay or Kadarius Toney all too much and Darius Slayton has hardly caught on within Daboll’s system. The Giants might need to consistently feature at least one of them moving forward though. Richie James, David Sills, and banged-up rookie Wan’Dale Robinson (whenever he returns from a knee injury) can’t do it all. Especially when quarterback Daniel Jones already has his limitations.
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