All it took was one day of training camp to create a “dark cloud” over the Giants’ wide receivers room, but it came with a sudden dose of opportunity.
During their first practice Thursday, Sterling Shepard broke his thumb and Corey Coleman tore his ACL. While coach Pat Shurmur said Friday he was “not concerned” about Shepard returning in time for the regular season, Coleman is expected to be out for the year.
“It feels like our room [has] a little dark cloud over it right now,” said rookie Darius Slayton, who is day-to-day with a hamstring injury himself.
The Giants, of course, traded away Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns and were banking on Shepard taking over No. 1 duties and Coleman providing important depth with a shot at earning the No. 3 receiver job. In the interim, there are more reps to go around as the Giants figure out how to fill Coleman’s spot.
They will host a workout for free-agent receivers on Saturday — which is expected to include veteran Kelvin Benjamin and rookie Flynn Nagel — but their top in-house options to step up include Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard and Slayton, whenever he is able to return to practice.
Gettleman drafted Benjamin as GM of the Carolina Panthers. Benjamin enjoyed a strong rookie season — 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns — before multiple years of decline. Benjamin, 28, was traded to the Bills during his third season and was then sent to the Chiefs at the end of a season in which he totaled 380 yards between the two teams. Nagel, a Northwestern standout, was with the team during rookie minicamp. Nagel’s 5-foot-11 height is a stark contrast to Benjamin’s 6-foot-5 frame, but he thrived out of the slot in college. Nagel’s 780 receiving yards were good for seventh-most in the Big Ten last season.
“Our room’s kind of going through it a little bit,” veteran Golden Tate said. “To counter that, it’s a lot of opportunity for our other guys, the young guys, to step up and make plays. Everyone gets some extra reps and hopefully we all take advantage of that.”
Shurmur said tight end Evan Engram also could help fill the void, given that he was used in a receiver-like role at times last year.
“I think he’s got wide receiver traits,” Shurmur said.
Latimer, Fowler and Russell Shepard were all active in team drills Friday. Each of them has at least five years of experience in the NFL — including last season with the Giants — but none of them has more than 72 career receptions.
Coleman also will be missed in the return game, where he provided a spark last season after signing in October. In Friday’s practice, Jabrill Peppers, Latimer, Brittan Golden and Da’Mari Scott were all catching punts. Shurmur said he doesn’t mind putting Peppers back there on top of his workload at safety, but “we’d like to find somebody else to at least work at it.”
The speedy Slayton said he took reps returning kicks and punts during organized team activities, but he will need to get healthy again to help out there and at receiver. Coleman’s injury is not the way he wanted to get his shot, but it is now his reality.
“Definitely a lot [of opportunity],” Slayton said. “If anything, with these [injuries] going on — I was already extremely eager to get back, but even more so now because of the opportunities that are available now.”
As for other available free-agent wide receivers, Michael Crabtree is still available, and would offer the team the most experience of anyone available, though they aren’t very interested in his services. The 31-year-old was released by the Ravens in March after one season, where he tallied 54 receptions for 607 yards and three touchdowns. Crabtree, who played for the 49ers and Raiders his first nine years in the league, has accumulated 7,477 receiving yards throughout his career. His 28 touchdown receptions are seventh-most in the league since 2015.
Dez Bryant is also still without a team. The former Cowboys star had three straight thousand-yard seasons between 2012 and 2014, hauling in double digit touchdowns in each. In 15 games against the Giants, Bryant had 64 receptions, 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. Since 2014, however, he’s failed to record more than 838 yards, and was cut by Dallas last offseason. After going most of the 2018 season without an employer, Bryant signed a one-year deal with the Saints, but tore his Achilles in his first practice. He has recently said he is waiting for the “right team” on Twitter, but a Giants pairing remains unlikely.
