‘Glad he’s on our team’

The New York Giants surprised their fans this offseason when they brought back one of their favorite players — veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard.

The 30-year-old former second-round pick out of Oklahoma has been one of the Giants’ best offensive weapons the past decade, serving as a solid No. 2 and No. 3 wideout.

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But in recent years, Shepard has been plagued by a spate of serious injuries such as concussions, a torn Achilles, and a torn ACL that have limited him to just 10  games since 2020. He hasn’t played a full season since 2018.

That aside, general manager Joe Schoen — who admitted that Shepard was one of his favorite players earlier this year — decided to bring Shepard back and did it with a one-year, bargain-basement deal worth $1.317 million.

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll love Shepard’s dedication, work ethic and attitude. With a young receiving corps in-house, he’s the perfect elder statesman to lead the group.

“Shep is an emotional guy,” Daboll said on Friday. “I think a lot of people feed off of him. He brings positive energy. He’s been here a long time. Glad he’s on our team.”

An example of what Shepard brings is illustrated by him lockering next to rookie sensation Jalin Hyatt to help him acclimate to NFL life. On the other side of Hyatt is quarterback Daniel Jones.

Shepard has also looked a whole lot like his old self, moving well in his routes and still has the ability to separate and has always been one of the top wideouts when it comes to reeling in passes within his catch radius.

Shepard is a living embodiment of the term “Once a Giant. Always a Giant.”