Every NFL team’s most surprising cut candidate

New York Giants — Sterling Shepard

This might be a weird question to ask, but who is the New York Giants’ number-one wide receiver right now? A few mistakes at the position (namely Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney) have the Giants asking this question. They have veterans Parris Campbell and Darius Slayton looking to solidify roles on this offense. The team has high hopes for Isaiah Hodgins after showing flashes last season.

Speaking of flashes, at one point, Sterling Shepard was once the flashiest wide receiver on the roster. This was a player who once had 100 targets with this franchise. The last time he did that was before the pandemic.

For four seasons, the Giants have seen Sterling Shepard come into the season with a ton of hype and see it go by the wayside. Just about every time, it’s because of injuries. It started in 2019 when he had two concussions during the season. Then, turf toe ruined things in 2020. In 2021, he tore his Achilles tendon toward the end of the season. He tried to work his way back quickly, making it back to start the next year. Clearly, he should have taken his time because he tore his ACL by Week 3.

Shepard re-signed with the Giants this offseason to try and prove himself one more time. However, it’s too many injuries and too much baggage. It’s time to move on.