Giants Expect Sterling Shepard, Janoris Jenkins To Be Cleared To Play Against Bears

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Concussions have kept Sterling Shepard off the field since Week 5, but he could be returning to action for the Giants this weekend.

Head injuries are nothing to take lightly, so things have advanced cautiously with Shepard. He is still in the final stage of the concussion protocol, but head coach Pat Shurmur's expectation on Wednesday was that the wide receiver would be medically cleared by an independent doctor by Sunday.

Shepard and Janoris Jenkins, who is also in the protocol, were able to fully participate in the team’s practice.

Sterling Shepard and Janoris Jenkins were full-go at practice. Coach Shurmur says the final step of the concussion protocol will come at the end of week.

— New York Giants (@Giants) November 20, 2019

It’s still not a sure thing that the two players will be playing on Sunday, especially in Shepard’s case, as his injury has been serious enough for him to miss significant time. The Giants are 2-8 and may opt to ease both players back into the fold.

Daniel Jones would love to have one of his top receiving options back available. Other wideouts like Golden Tate and Darius Slayton stepped up in Shepard’s absence, and now all three players will have the opportunity to suit up together.

Sterling ShepardNoah K. Murray/USA TODAY Images

Elsewhere on the injury front, Evan Engram didn’t practice because of his foot injury. The tight end hasn’t been able to play since Week 9, which could mean the offense is still short-staffed even if Shepard is able to return.

Offensive lineman Nate Solder is also in the concussion protocol, but he was still limited at practice on Wednesday, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of playing on Sunday when the Giants take on the Bears in Chicago.

Rhett Ellison's concussion kept him out of practice entirely, while Jon Halapio and Mike Remmers were full-go with hamstring and back injuries respectively.