Vernon still up in air for Week 1
Even if Olivier Vernon is “feeling better,” he still may not feel well enough to play in Sunday’s season opener against the Jaguars.
Vernon, who has been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury in practice Aug. 26, reported improvement following Thursday night’s preseason game against the Patriots, but was unable to participate in Monday’s practice.
Coach Pat Shurmur said he was “hopeful” the linebacker could soon return to practice, but he didn’t sound overly optimistic that Vernon would be ready to return by the weekend.
“He was in the training room, getting treatment,” Shurmur said. “We’re hopeful that he’ll practice Wednesday, but, we’ll have to see.”
Evan Engram’s status also remains uncertain. The second-year tight end took the field Monday, sporting a red, non-contact practice jersey. Engram remains in concussion protocol after suffering the injury in the team’s third preseason game against the Jets.
Shurmur hasn’t yet determined who will be the team’s primary kickoff/punt returner, but newly acquired receiver Kaelin Clay could potentially lock down the job. The 26-year-old has returned two punts for touchdowns in his career, and holds a 23.2 yard kick return average.
“We brought in a player [that] we think can do it, so we’ll figure it out from there,” Shurmur said. “We all know we have a really good one just hanging around, No. 13 [ Odell Beckham Jr.], so we feel really good about the fact if he has to go in there and do it, but we are certainly looking for a guy that can also do it.”
Shurmur said he is also open to Saquon Barkley receiving return opportunities. The rookie running back returned two kickoffs for touchdowns at Penn State last year.
“I’ll be eager to definitely be in the mix of kickoff return,” Barkley said. “I did it in college. I was able to help my team out in college in that area. If they, or if I show that I’m capable of doing that for the Giants, why not? It’s definitely something I feel comfortable with, and I’m honestly willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. If that’s the job they want me to do, I would love to do that.”
The Giants named their six team captains — half of them newcomers to the team — chosen in a vote of players and coaches. Eli Manning and offensive lineman Nate Solder will captain the offense, linebacker Alec Ogletree and safety Landon Collins were selected on defense, and Zak DeOssie and Michael Thomas were picked on special teams.
The Giants signed linebacker Ukeme Eligwe, 24, to the practice squad. The former fifth-round pick was waived by the Chiefs this weekend.