New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard may have fractured his thumb in practice on Wednesday, but he is still participating in team drills, according to Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record.
Stapleton adds that Shepard is running different routes, but instead of catching a football, a staffer is flipping a tennis ball to him in order to complete the play, which certainly seems harmless.
Shepard is coming off a 2018 campaign in which he played all 16 games and hauled in 66 receptions for 872 yards and four touchdowns. He then proceeded to sign a four-year, $41 million contract extension with the Giants back in April.
The 26-year-old, who played collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was originally selected by New York in the second round (40th pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Article Continues BelowHe appeared in all 16 contests during his rookie year, catching 65 passes for 683 yards and eight scores. Injuries then limited him to just 11 games in 2017, when he snared 59 balls for 731 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
With Odell Beckham Jr. getting traded to the Cleveland Browns, Shepard has taken over as the No. 1 receiver for the Giants, but this thumb injury has obviously set him back a bit.
Shepard was not the only Giants wideout who was injured on Wednesday, either: Corey Coleman tore his ACL and will miss the entire season.
New York won just five games this past year and has made the playoffs just once since last winning the Super Bowl in the 2011 campaign.