The 2021 season really couldn’t have gone much worse for NY Giants stud receiver Sterling Shepard. The veteran wideout was in his sixth year with the G-Men and figured to be a star in the division. Instead, Shepard struggled, New York went 4-13 and his season ended in devastating fashion.
In the Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Shepard went down with a serious-looking injury, and it was revealed soon after that he had suffered a torn Achilles. Shepard has been grinding to get himself ready for the 2022 campaign and he admitted it hasn’t been easy. At the same time, Shepard made it clear while on the Giants Huddle Podcast that he’s ready to overcome this adversity.
Sterling Shepard is taking the recovery from his Achilles injury day by day
"“It gets overwhelming at times,” Shepard said on his rehab work. “You know, you’re doing the same thing over and over again and you can get lost in it or you can fall in love with the process. That’s just what I’ve been trying to do – just fall in love with it and gain the strength back.”"
Shepard was asked if there was a timetable for when he’d be back to 100 percent, but the seventh-year WR said that he’s taking things one day at a time right now and he’s unsure of when he’ll be fully cleared. At the same time, he’s also working closely with the team trainers and that he’ll let them make the best decision about how much he can push himself.
It’s up in the air if Shepard will be good to go for the start of training camp in late July, but there’s certainly hope that he’ll be all set for the Week 1 showdown against the Tennessee Titans in September. Shepard is incredibly motivated to put the rough 2021 behind him and really help this offense improve this season.
Across the board, Shepard recorded career lows in 2021. He appeared in seven games, catching 36 balls for 366 yards and one touchdown. No one expected those kinds of numbers from the talented WR, but it just wasn’t his campaign.
Despite him still trying to fight back from his brutal injury, Shepard has the right mindset and he’s embraced everything that has come his way. We’ll see if it’s written in the stars or not for him to bounce back in ’22, but Giants Nation is 100 percent ready to back him all the way.