WR Hakeem Nicks (foot), DT Chris Canty (knee), LB Clint Sintim (knee) and TE Travis Beckum (knee) did not participate in the Giants conditioning test and will all begin the preseason on the Physically Unable to Perform list, coach Tom Coughlin told reporters. LT Will Beatty (back) didn’t participate in the conditioning test either, but he’s not on the PUP list and Coughlin said he will be “limited” as training camp begins in Albany on Friday.

Nicks broke his fifth metatarsal in his right foot during OTAs while Canty played with a knee injury last season and ultimately had surgery in the offseason. Coughlin did not seem optimistic that Nicks can practice by his scheduled return date of August 17th because he’s yet to really begin running.

“There are no setbacks, but he just started running,” Coughlin said. “He just started running in the wading pool. He’s got all of that to go through before he can get out there. He’s been on the elliptical, so he can do some things like catching the ball, but he’s not going to be able to run.”

The Giants coach was equally pessimistic with Canty, who he said could “take a little while.” Canty previously expected to be ready for training camp

Being on the PUP list isn’t necessarily a big deal at the moment, but it does mean the Giants can keep any of the four players on the list at the beginning of the season and they won’t count against the 53-man roster limit. If the players are on the PUP list at the beginning of the year, they have to sit out until after the first six weeks of the season have been played.

Both Beckum and Sintim are coming off torn ACLs, and are better candidates to start the season on the PUP list than Nicks or Canty.

You can get up-to-the-minute Giants updates from Alex Raskin via @CBSSportsNFLNYG.