Tuesday night was difficult to sleep for Daniel Bellinger. The “extremely sore” ribs he reported after last week’s loss to the Eagles made it exceedingly difficult for him to roll onto his side. The next day, the rookie tight end was a limited participant in practice, but he expects to have no restrictions for Sunday night’s crucial game against the Commanders.
“Flitting about “I didn’t give it much thought; I was just moving around and twisting a bit to make sure everything was okay,” Bellinger said Wednesday, calling his ribs “much better.”
This is a positive development for the Giants. Their tight end productivity falls short of expectations, and Bellinger is their best option. After undergoing eye surgery, he missed four games and only played 39 snaps against the Eagles. Marcus Epps slammed Bellinger in the abdomen as he attempted to catch a ball from Daniel Jones that he dropped and lost 1 yard on in the second quarter.
“That was the first blow,” said Bellinger. “It didn’t hurt too badly until the second half, when we returned to the field; that’s when I really started to feel it.”
Bellinger anticipates having his ribs bandaged for this game. He continues to wear a visor as additional protection for his surgically repaired left eye — he suffered a broken eye socket and damage to the septum — and stated that he may switch from a tinted to a clear visor for the night game.
After dealing with a neck injury last week, Saquon Barkley was a full participant in practice. … Not practicing were OL Josh Ezeudu (neck), OL Shane Lemieux (toe), and CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee). Bellinger, defensive end Leonard Williams, and outside linebacker Elerson Smith were limited. … Wide Receiver Richie James and Defensive End Jihad Ward are in the concussion protocol. The fact that both players were running outside in the cold throughout practice is an encouraging sign for their readiness to play on Sunday.
Safety Xavier McKinney’s damaged fingers have prevented him from playing since the bye week. McKinney has yet to return to practice, therefore he will not play on Sunday. … Ben Bredeson, who has not played since suffering a knee strain at Jacksonville in Week 7, might be activated from injured reserve and return to the starting lineup at left guard. “Hopefully he’ll have a nice week, but we won’t know until the end of the week,” said coach Brian Daboll.
With James in the concussion protocol, the Giants needed special teams insurance for the return game, so they added Jaydon Mickens to their practice squad. Mickens, 28, has returned 69 punts for the Jaguars and Raiders for an average of 8.4 yards and one score in 38 NFL games. Mickens has returned 35 kickoffs for a career average of 23.2 yards. He has 15 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns and was a member of the Super Bowl LV champion Buccaneers. If James is unable to play due to his second concussion of the season, the Giants may promote Mickens to punt returner.
To make room on the practice squad, the contract of offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka was terminated.
Wan’Dale Robinson had surgery to repair his right ACL tear. Injured on November 20 against the Lions, he has spent the last three weeks strengthening his right knee in preparation for reconstruction surgery. Robinson will likely begin the 2023 season on the physically unable to perform list due to the date of his surgery. Injuries delayed the second-round pick during his first season, resulting in 23 receptions for 227 yards and one touchdown.
»Daniel Bellinger of the Giants does not anticipate limits from a rib ailment«