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Xavier McKinney Designated to Return from NFI

McKinney will take part in his first practice since injuring his left hand in a bye week accident.
Patricia Traina|
Xavier McKinney Designated to Return from NFI
Xavier McKinney Designated to Return from NFI

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New York Giants

New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney, who has been on the team's non-football injury (NFI) list since returning from the team's Week 9 bye, has officially been designated to return and was allowed to practice with the team on Thursday.

McKinney was injured during the team's bye while on vacation in Cabo, Mexico during a guided ATV tour. The accident did enough damage to his left hand to warrant surgery and the placement of pins to help expedite the hand's healing. 

The pins were removed a couple of weeks ago, and McKinney has been working non-stop to regain full dexterity and strength in his hand through a series of exercises. He will will wear a splint on his hand for the time being.

With McKinney, who had played in 1,432 consecutive snaps for the Giants before his injury, having been designated to return, he will have a 21-day window (same as if he were on injured reserve) to make it back to the Giants roster.  

The Giants have two regular-season games remaining but are on the verge of clinching a postseason berth if they can defeat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in their 2022 regular-season home finale.

The Giants can activate McKinney anytime during the 21-day window, though it would seem unlikely to happen this week. 

"I think the first thing is just let him get out here, move around. He hasn’t played in a while, but he’s got a contraption to protect his hand," said head coach Brian Daboll. 

"He’s been moving around, rehabbing. His lower body’s obviously good. So, we’ll go ahead and let him practice. And then just kind of see where he’s at.”

Regardless of when the safety is activated (assuming he is activated), McKinney could be placed on a pitch count since he hasn't played or practiced football in almost two months and would probably not be asked to take on a full workload right out of the chute.

The Giants will no doubt welcome McKinney back to the lineup if they do get into the playoffs, as they have missed his production. Rookie Dane Belton, Tony Jefferson, and Jason Pinnock have taken on McKinney's snaps in various personnel packages. 

Those three players have combined to allow 22 of 28 pass targets to be complete for 267 yards (127 after the catch) and one touchdown, with one interception and three pass breakups between them.

McKinney, meanwhile, allowed eight of 16 pass targets to be complete for 104 yards, 33 after the catch while allowing one touchdown and breaking up two passes.

 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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