All eyes will be on two ankles when the Giants practice during their bye week.
Running back Saquon Barkley and left tackle Andrew Thomas are expected to be on the field Tuesday and Wednesday, which means nearly two weeks of preparation before the Giants face the Buccaneers on “Monday Night Football” on Nov. 22.
“Based on the conversations that I’ve had [Monday] with trainers,” coach Joe Judge said, “I’m hopeful that we would be able to have both guys back for Tampa. I think we’ve got to give them an opportunity this week.”
Thomas missed three games and remains on injured reserve. Barkley missed four games but was never put on IR because the Giants were hoping for only a two-game absence. Barkley’s comeback was slowed by two false-positive COVID-19 tests that kept him out of the facility all last week. He previously was working with trainers, not yet ready for individual drills.
“That’s unfortunate because it was something he was pushing toward, really getting back on the field for us,” Judge said. “We’ll look to get him out there and just make sure we check his conditioning and football movements and all that stuff in the week going forward.”
Thomas was four games into a Pro Bowl-caliber season when he injured his ankle. He missed one start, returned and had his ankle rolled from behind.
“We’ll have him do some things with the trainers, in terms of seeing him move around,” Judge said, “that may open up a window to get him out there a little bit more on Wednesday and do some things in practice with us.”
The Giants’ top seven receivers all have missed games due to injuries this season and a potential game-changer just so happens to be available on waivers after the Browns parted ways with Odell Beckham Jr.
Judge all-but-squashed a Giants-OBJ reunion, however. The irony is Judge likely would have tolerated Beckham’s antics during his great five-year run with the Giants (2014-18) in exchange for his production and passion. Others in the building would be less enthused by the idea.
“We’re always very conscious of who’s available,” Judge said. “It’s part of our job — knowing the league and what’s going on — and we talk through all the personnel moves. That would be something we talk about more internally, but I wouldn’t say there’s anything anticipation-wise at this moment.”
The Giants have the No. 8 priority but nowhere near enough salary cap space to add his $7.25 million salary, rendering it a moot point. If Beckham goes unclaimed, he is a free agent who can choose his destination after 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The Giants are the only team in the NFL without a 30-point offensive output since the start of 2020, when Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took over. They rank No. 21 in yards per game (334.6) and No. 23 in points per game (19.9) this season.
Is Judge considering any play-calling changes during the bye?
“No, not at this moment we’re not,” Judge said, repeating his lukewarm vote of confidence from Sept. 27 during an 0-3 start.
Judge declined to say whether the Giants had any issues Sunday with the Bose headsets. One game earlier, Judge said the Giants had communication issues in every game (home and away), which prompted the league’s involvement.
“I’m not going to go into headsets, period, going forward,” Judge said. “I’ve had some conversations with the league and basically I’m just going to go ahead and stay off those issues and make sure anything that happens we do get resolved.”