Tight End Daniel Bellinger Undergoes Successful Eye Surgery

There is optimism that Bellinger will return later this season.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Oct 28, 2022 5:07 PM EDT

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New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger underwent successful surgery to repair fractures of his lower eye socket and damage to his septum, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Bellinger was injured with 1:09 left in the first half of Sunday's game when, after catching a 13-yard pass from Daniel Jones, he was accidentally poked in the eye by a Jaguars defender.

The rookie tight end was carted off the field and later taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. The hospital then released him in time to catch the team's chartered flight back to New York.

Bellinger, according to Fowler, hopes to be back in the lineup as soon as two weeks, which would put him in line for Week 10 against the Houston Texans (the Giants have a Week 9 bye).

However, if Bellinger's timeline is more along the lines of 4-6 weeks, that would put him back in the lineup for the Giants' Week 1 game at Dallas on Thanksgiving, which is the first of a three-game stretch against divisional opponents.

Bellinger has appeared in seven games with six starts this season. He's caught 16 of 18 pass targets for 152 yards and two touchdowns and has a 2-yard rushing touchdown.