It’s not happening fast enough for some Giants fans, but wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is progressing in his comeback from foot surgery.
Nicks, who is on PUP because he broke his foot in May, will run routes and catch passes from the team’s training staff on Tuesday, which is a modest, but important development in his rehabilitation.
Until Tuesday, Nicks had mostly been running “straight ahead” with some non-strenuous “circles” thrown in as well.
“I’ve been doing hills, getting my endurance back up,” Nicks said. “Just doing everything I need to do to make sure I’m back in shape before I step back out there.”
If Nicks’ foot responds well, he could run some routes with actual quarterbacks throwing him the football next week, but for the moment he’s just taking things slowly.
Nicks wouldn’t say if he’ll be able to play in any preseason games, instead insisting that the most-important thing is that he’s at “100 percent” when he does finally return to the field.
When asked if he’s still on target for the Sept. 5 opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Nicks said, “definitely.”
“Everything’s been going good,” said Nicks, who added that he’s not in any pain and hasn’t suffered a single setback.
Nicks has some custom orthotics for his cleats, which is something the Giants staff is familiar with having made several for running back Ahmad Bradshaw over the years.
With Nicks out for Friday’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s anyone’s guess who will start opposite Victor Cruz. Domenik Hixon seems to be the top candidate, but <span data-shortcode=es Barden" data-canon="Ramses Barden" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_PLAYER" id="shortcode0"> and rookie Rueben Randle are also in the mix as well.
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