Vernon returns tonight

Olivier Vernon is back.

The Giants’ top pass rusher will make his season debut tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. He missed the first five games with a high left ankle sprain he suffered in an Aug. 26 preseason practice.

Tight end Evan Engram (right MCL sprain) will miss a third straight game, and wide receiver Russell Shepard (neck) — who made a 40yard catch on the Giants’ final scoring drive Sunday at Carolina — also will sit out. Tight end Rhett Ellison (foot) is questionable.

The Giants (1-4) are tied for last in the NFL with the Raiders with six sacks through five weeks. Vernon, whose $17 million 2018 cap hit is the highest of any Giants defensive player, has the potential to wreck a game.

He is a ferocious run defender, and he has 15 sacks in 28 regular-season games as a Giant since 2016 despite playing most of 2016 with a broken wrist.

Monday, Vernon had told the Daily News he was “very optimistic” about playing Thursday and said: “Nobody’s ever 100 percent, but if I could just get to where I feel comfortable, where I won’t be a liability, then I’m gonna go out there and be with my team and be able to contribute. And that’s it.” He also said the Giants are taking “a lot of pride in how we play defense.“

At tight end, veteran Scott Simonson (18 snaps in Carolina) would step into a larger role if Ellison (55 snaps in Carolina) sits out or is limited. But keep an eye also on versatile undrafted rookie Garrett Dickerson from Bergen Catholic.

Dickerson, 22, is a player the Giants are high on. They even called a deep shot to him on his lone offensive snap Sunday, but the Panthers were ready for it, a credit to their scouting report.

Five Eagles players, meanwhile, have been ruled out: running back Darren Sproles (hamstring), defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (calf ), safety Corey Graham (hamstring) and linebackers Nathan Gerry (ankle/knee) and D.J. Alexander (quad).