EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in Monday night’s game once morest the Dallas Cowboys, coach Brian Daboll said Tuesday. .
The injury will end his season and perhaps his time with the Giants. Shepard, the team’s longest-serving player, is in the final year of a restructured deal he signed this offseason following a torn left Achilles tendon.
“He’s a tremendous person. He’s worked very diligently to get back on his feet,” Daboll said. “I feel so bad for him that he’s had that injury. He’s a big part of our team. He’s going to be missed on that field.”
The Giants plan to look internally for Kadarius Toney (hamstring), Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) and struggling Kenny Golladay to fill the void. Shepard served as the team’s number one receiver.
The noncontact injury occurred in the final minutes of New York’s 23-16 loss to Dallas. He came on a seemingly innocuous play in which Shepard was just jogging near the right sideline when he collapsed to the ground.
“I’m thinking the same thing as you watch it. It’s just slowing down,” Daboll said. “It might have happened, I’m not saying it happened, but you see a couple of plays earlier where he turns around when he’s running a cut and it’s extended. But he came out the next play and did something. Again, it seemed like a freak accident there. “.
This latest freak injury to Shepard only exacerbates the artificial grass vs. turf debate.
“I know there have been a lot of studies. Not just here, but probably in every stadium,” Daboll said Tuesday. “I think, once more, you look at Shep’s injury, he was jogging. I’m sure throughout the season and offseason we’ll sit down and discuss those kinds of things.”
The turf at MetLife Stadium in particular has been the subject of some complaints in the past, including from the San Francisco 49ers following five players suffered game-ending lower-body injuries in the same game once morest the New Yorkers. York Jets during the 2020 season. Knee injuries sustained by Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas ended their respective seasons.
Most recently, the Baltimore Ravens were unhappy following cornerback Kyle Fuller tore an ACL in a game once morest the Jets in Week 1.
“Everybody in this league should do everything they can to put the best surface. How much is invested in the players that come out and play? Our league really is a player-driven league, and we want those guys to have the best of the best.” especially playing surfaces,” coach John Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh added of the MetLife field surface: “That artificial turf was caked, it was compacted, it was a little tight. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. I don’t know, but that’s what I saw. It was a little firm. “.
The Ravens will play at MetLife Stadium once more this season in Week 6 when they take on the Giants.
The injury saw Shepard’s close friend and former teammate Odell Beckham Jr. expressing his outrage at stadiums using artificial turf over real grass.
“Billions made from this game. Can’t understand why we can’t play on grass,” he tweeted, also offering prayers for Shepard.
Shepard was cleared to practice late this summer following tearing his left Achilles tendon last December. He leads the Giants with 154 receiving yards through three games. He has also served the most aces (157) among all receivers on the team.
The injury occurred on the Giants’ final offensive play Monday night. The result of the play was essentially a game-ending interception by Dallas’ Trevon Diggs. Shepard limped into the cart, and players from both teams came over to offer words of encouragement.
The Giants (2-1) are moving forward now hoping to get Toney or Robinson back this week. Both missed Monday night’s game due to injury. Robinson, the Giants’ second-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Kentucky, was injured in the opening game once morest the Tennessee Titans. Toney, his 2021 first-round pick out of Florida, recently aggravated the hamstring that plagued him this summer.
“They’re getting closer. Will they be ready this week?” [vs. Chicago]? I can’t answer that yet,” Daboll said. “According to the meetings I just had with the doctors, they’re getting closer. But we’re not completely out yet.”
Golladay is the Giants’ second-highest-paid player this season at $18 million. But he can hardly enter the field. He played just two aces last week in a win over the Carolina Panthers. He had no catches on three official targets with a fumble in 22 snaps once morest the Cowboys.
Golladay made it clear last week that he wasn’t happy with the Giants’ decision to sit him behind David Sills V. Shepard’s injury and Sills’ problems (he went down on the play Shepard was injured and caused the interception) they might create more playing time for Golladay.
New York is trying to get more out of its $72 million man.
“The same thing we try to do with all of our guys. We go out there, set up the game plan with them and work as hard as we can. Build trust with the quarterback,” Daboll said. “When he has opportunities to go out and make plays, he goes out and makes them.”
Golladay can only hope to have some of the success that Shepard had in New York. Shepard has 362 career receptions for 4,038 yards and 22 career touchdowns with the Giants. Golladay has yet to score a touchdown in 17 games since he signed the massive deal. He has two catches for 22 yards this season.
Shepard’s problem in recent years hasn’t been his production. It was her health.
This will be the fourth year in a row that he has missed at least four games due to injuries. He has dealt with Achilles tendon, quadriceps, hamstring, toe and concussion issues in recent years. Now, it’s his knee.
Shepard was able to recover from the Achilles injury in just over eight months. He looked good in practice late this summer and returned to game action for the season opener once morest Tennessee on Sept. 11. He caught a 65-yard touchdown in that game.
That, unfortunately, will remain the highlight of his 2022 season.