The New York Giants returned to the practice field for the final time ahead of a Week 8 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a frigid Saturday afternoon and it was more of the same.
All of the team’s offensive linemen were present and accounted for outside of guard Will Hernandez (COVID-19) and should be good to go pending another round of negative tests on Sunday.
However, head coach Joe Judge refused to name Hernandez’s replacement, leaving the door open for practice squad reserve Chad Slade and rookie Shane Lemieux.
“We’re going to consider all the guys right now. We’re going to go through that today after practice and kind of go through how the week went and what’s going on,” Judge told reporters. “We have a lot of install to go today with some red area and two-minute. Without having a lot of those guys on Wednesday, it’s kind of backlogged some of the things we’ve had to do. There are still some decisions to be made there.”
Meanwhile, running back Devonta Freeman (ankle) missed his third consecutive practice and has been ruled out for Monday despite Judge implying he “had a shot” to play.
“[He has] a chance at this point,” Judge said. “We’ll check with the trainers and see where [he is]. Really through this practice and see where they go into this weekend. No decision has been made either way.”
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard (shoulder/toe) acknowledged hurting late in the week, but claims he’s ready to play. He did not receive a designation. Nor did rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes.
“If you don’t have your big toe, especially for a skill position guy, it’s hard to get your job done in any way, shape or form. So, it’s one of the more frustrating injuries I’ve had,” Shepard said. “But I’ve come a long way and I thank the trainers for that.”
Finally, veteran safety Adrian Colbert (shoulder) is out and wide receiver C.J. Broad (concussion) is questionable.
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