New York Giants Notebook | Update on Jason Garrett, Holmes and Jones Injury Updates, and More

Head coach Joe Judge said that the expectation is for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to be back this weekend when the Giants take their final road trip of the regular-season to Baltimore this weekend.

“We’re waiting on final details,” Judge said. “From what I understand, he’ll be available for the game. There’s still some gray area in terms of the travel with the team or without the team, what it could entail. We’re hoping that everything goes well.”

Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday. The team announced he had done so on Thursday, and they canceled their scheduled practice out of an abundance of caution until contact tracing could be completed.

Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens served as the team’s play-caller against the Browns Sunday night, running the game plan that Garrett assembled with the offensive assistant coaches' help.

“Obviously, we’re hoping that Jason remains in good health. We have been checking in with him. He’s been very active in our meetings,” Judge said.

Optimism for Darnay Holmes

Slot cornerback Darnay Holmes has missed the last two games with a knee injury, but Judge is optimistic that the cornerback could return in some capacity this coming week.

“With Darnay, we just have to get him on the grass and move him around,” Judge said. “He’s a player that we did not IR when he got hurt out of hope that we could get him back in a few weeks. The signs looked promising enough that we didn’t have to put him on IR.”

Xavier McKinney and Julian Love have primarily filled in for Holmes in the slot. Even if Holmes, who has been unable to practice for the last two weeks, does return, there would be a good chance his reps would be limited.

“The test is always, can he hurt it worse, or is he dealing with pain tolerance? Judge said. “We’re going to make sure that we’re putting him in position out there, that he is going to be okay.”

The Giants are facing another shortened workweek this week thanks to the Christmas holiday on Friday. However, Judge said that he would check with his team captains for their final feedback on how to proceed.

“If we do bring them in on Christmas, which is the plan right now, the plan would be to bring them in early in the afternoon, noon or one o’clock,” Judge said. “We’re going to double check with the guys tomorrow and make sure they’re good.”

Judge said that if they go ahead with the plan to bring the team in for a workout on Christmas day, it would probably be a shorter session.

“It will be a little less intense day on the field,” he said. “We’re going to have to stay ahead in how we work on Wednesday and Thursday as a team.”

Daniel Jones's Return Still Unknown

Judge didn't have a firm answer when asked about the status of quarterback Daniel Jones, who has been dealing with hamstring and ankle injuries, but he did say that nothing has changed regarding what he needs to see to green-light Jones's return if the quarterback gets cleared by the medics.

“The standard remains the same. My concern with him has been his health, making sure he can go on the field and protect himself,” Judge said. “I still want to make sure we can put him out there and allow him to move around and protect himself."

Judge thought Jones, who at the time was dealing with just the hamstring injury, was capable enough of protecting himself against the Arizona Cardinals only to find out the contrary. Jones, through no fault of his own, proceeded to be injured worse when he suffered the ankle sprain on a hit late in the second quarter of that game, causing many to wonder if he might have been able to move out of the way had he not had the hamstring injury.

That factor, among others, will weigh into the decision whether to clear Jones to play Sunday at Baltimore.

“You want to make sure that you can put a quarterback out there in position. Not necessarily that he can just pull the ball down and run all the time. Just moving in the pocket fluidly and protecting himself," Judge said.

"If you can’t do that, you’re just putting yourself at a greater risk. I’ve got to see Daniel move around. I want to make sure I make the right decision for him short term and long term.”

Yuletide Plans

Judge said that if they go ahead with the plan to bring the team in for a workout on Christmas day, it would probably be a shorter session.

“It will be a little less intense day on the field,” he said. “We’re going to have to stay ahead in how we work on Wednesday and Thursday as a team.”

Other Quick Hits

--The Giants re-signed defensive back Montre Hartage to their practice squad. Hartage had been released Saturday to make room for defensive back Adrian Colbert, who was activated off injured reserve.

--Judge said offensive tackle Matt Peart, who didn’t receive any game snaps Sunday night despite being active, was held out due to an “ailment that popped up at the last minute.” Judge added that Peart, who most recently dealt with an ankle injury which may or may not have been the ailment, should be fine to go next week.

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