Sterling Shepard embraces new role as Giants' No. 1 receiver

If there was any doubt as to whether Giants receiver Sterling Shepard's broken left thumb was fully healed, all one had to do was watch him as he held his smartphone and used that thumb to scroll up and down the screen.

"Yeah, I haven’t worn the splint in I think about a week and a half, two weeks," he said, the smile of relief spread across his face.

"It’s hard to grip a ball with the splint, so I just practiced on that, and then getting my strength back in my thumb, so it’s been feeling great."

Shepard, who fractured his thumb at the start of training camp, didn't appear in the preseason games, though he did what he could in practice.

But now that his thumb is fully healed, he's itching to get out there in his new role as the Giants' No. 1 receiver and start contributing to what everyone hopes will be a positive and productive year for the Giants offense.

"I think, whether you have guys playing in the preseason, it’s a little different in the regular season, so we’ll get adjusted quickly," Shepard said of the Giants' first-string offense after the unit took part in its first full practice ahead of the regular season ahead of the team's regular-season opener Sunday at Dallas.

"It’s been looking good at practice, so I feel like what you do at practice translates well to the field if you’re doing things the right way."

The passing game is going to have a little bit of a different look to it this year what with Odell Beckham Jr no longer playing for the team and with veteran Golden Tate, who was being counted on to make a significant contribution this year, having to serve a league-mandated four-game suspension for a PED violation.

But Shepard said he likes the receivers the Giants have, a group that besides himself includes veterans Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard and Cody Latimer; rookie Darius Slayton; and newcomer Cody Core.

"We’ve got a lot of guys in the room who can make plays, so that makes you a little bit more comfortable," Shepard said of being the leader of that group. "But I’m ready for the opportunity 9to be the No. 1 receiver.) I’m ready to help the team out."

In addition to the receivers, there is also tight end Evan Engram, who finished last season on a tear and who is expected to have a bigger role on offense in the post-Beckham era.

"If you look at the back five games that he played last season, he played lights out, and that’s what he’s going to bring to the table," Shepard said.

"He’s a matchup nightmare, and I’ve said that since day one since I’ve seen him. The man looks like a wide receiver, he runs like a wide receiver, with a tight end’s body.

"Like I said: He’s a matchup nightmare, so just go out and be himself."