Giants’ Brian Daboll anticipates a larger role for Sterling Shepard

New York Giants veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard could be in for a larger role in the team’s offense going forward.

Thus far this season, Shepard has been in on just 31 offensive snaps over the first four games and just seven in the last two weeks. He has been targeted just three times this season and has only two receptions for a total of 10 yards.

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“We have a bunch of personnel groups with different receivers in them,” head coach Brian Daboll said when asked why Shepard isn’t playing more. “You can see there is a lot of different guys out there. Shep has them, too. They weren’t called, so I’d anticipate seeing him a little bit more. How many? I don’t know what that is, but I’d anticipate seeing him a little bit more.”

“I think Shep is a good player,” continued Daboll. “He will be out there today. We’ll put him in there like we do in practice. We just didn’t call the plays that were tagged with Shep’s plays, but he’s had some production with Daniel. Obviously, it’s a new year, coming back from an injury, so try to keep bringing him along and give him a couple more chances here.”

Shepard, 30, has played in just 14 games since the beginning of the 2020 season due to injuries and has not played a full season since 2018.

He was re-signed as a free agent this past spring solely based on his reputation and relationship with the organization. No one had him penciled in as a key contributor heading into the season, but Shepard has displayed that he is fully healthy and can play a bigger role than anticipated. He’s ready.

“It beats sitting on the sideline,” Shepard told the New York Post after practice on Wednesday. “This is a game that I love, that I’ve played since I was five years old. I’ve never really been in that situation where I was just watching. So of course, being on the field is gonna be a lot better than what it’s been the last few weeks.”

The Giants need all the help they can get these days. Why not call on one of their most dedicated players who has always been a reliable pair of hands-on offense?

Shepard has also been fielding punts in practice all year. With rookie Eric Gray struggling there, could Shepard finally be called upon to return kicks and punts? Stay tuned.