Why the Giants Have Missed Sterling Shepard
The New York Giants offense has missed wide receiver Sterling Shepard.
No, it's not because Shepard is a veteran leader or a genuinely nice guy to have in the huddle (though both those reasons could be true).
From a production standpoint, Shepard is perhaps the only receiver on this Giants team that can consistently find soft spots in zone coverage and exploit them for yards after the catch.
Before existing with a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2, Shepard was averaging 4.2 yards after the catch for his career, second on the team behind Golden Tate's 6.2 YAC (Tate has been at this way longer than Shepard).
Shepard's ability to find the soft spots in zone coverage means he can work himself into an area where the defenders are furthest away from the sweet spot in the coverage, make the catch, and have some daylight to pick up additional yards after the catch.
Let's look at this play from Week 1, first quarter.
NFL Game Pass
Shepard is circled in red and is operating from the slot, which is still one of his most productive positions. His pattern is going to take him to the middle of the NFL shield. Meanwhile, note the paths of the three Steelers defenders responsible for the middle of the field.
NFL Game Pass
Shepard has such a good feel for route running. If you look closely, you can see he's taking a peek at the defender who's on the 45-yard line.
Shepard will then cut toward the 50-yard line right between the two defenders, giving quarterback Daniel Jones plenty of room to get the ball to him.
NFL Game Pass
Look at how much room Shepard has in between the defenders. He makes the reception and picks up 14 yards on this play for a first down before the defenders converge to stop him.
This is the kind of route running the Giants need more of in their passing game--receivers who can find a way to shake loose from coverage and get open. Darius Slayton has shown he can do it, but Shepard has turned it into an art form for the Giants.
The Giants started the clock on Shepard's 21-day window to return from injured reserve, where he had been recovering from turf toe.
I would be surprised if Shepard is activated for Thursday's game against the Eagles, as a more conservative approach would be to wait to activate him for the game against the Bucs on November 2, which would give him a little more time to get his foot right.
With that said, the Giants under Judge have had a rhyme and reason for everything they've done.
They probably wouldn't have started the clock in Shepard's return if they didn't think he was just about there, as, by the time the Giants return to the field following Thursday's game, 14 days will have passed since starting the clock on Shepard.
Still, the Giants haven't had a full-fledged practice this week, instead, holding a walkthrough on Tuesday.
I would think they'd want to see Shepard running and cutting doing actual football drills, maybe even fighting against press coverage and doing some blocking, which are all things to test how close he is to returning.
Regardless of when he does return, Shepard should provide an instant boost to the Giants passing game, right Daniel Jones?
"It would be great," the quarterback said. "He’s obviously a special player and can do a lot of different things. It would be great to have him back."
