EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants tight end Evan Engram was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with a foot injury, leaving them shorthanded at the position.
Tight end Rhett Ellison (concussion) was also officially ruled out Friday.
The news was more promising on wide receiver Sterling Shepard, left tackle Nate Solder and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who were all cleared from concussion protocol and are expected to play barring a last-minute setback.
Shepard returns after having missed the past five games with his second concussion of the season. He was cleared three weeks ago heading into a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, but he didn’t feel well and returned to the protocol.
He was a full participant in practice throughout the week and is not expected to be limited in his return against the Bears.
“Listen, when you’re on the field playing, all the players are at risk for injury,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “That is just the reality of the sport. It’s a physical sport. The reason we all played it and do play it and coach it, is because we like the physical nature of it. Unfortunately, sometimes, injuries are part of it.
“If he’s up and going, he’s going to go.”
Shepard was playing close to 100 percent of the snaps prior to his injury. He will start alongside Golden Tate with rookie Darius Slayton still logging significant snaps as the third receiver.
Solder and Jenkins will also slot back into the starting lineup. They suffered concussions in the Giants’ last game against the New York Jets, and had extra time to get cleared with the bye week.
Engram, who leads the Giants with 44 catches and 467 yards and also has three touchdown grabs, has already missed three games this season with knee and foot injuries. This will be the ninth game missed over the past two seasons for the third-year tight end.
He was optimistic earlier this week that a return against the Bears was possible. He ditched the walking boot Monday and was hoping to begin running and cutting towards the middle or end of the week. As of Thursday, he had not reached that point, but he also hadn’t suffered a setback.
Engram did some running and cutting and told ESPN it went well. A return next week when the Giants host the Green Bay Packers seems plausible.
“He was hopeful that he could make it back [vs. the Bears]. He did everything we asked,” Shurmur said. “Hopefully he’s on track to be back soon. He just wasn’t quite ready this week.”
Engram, Shepard, Tate and running back Saquon Barkley have yet to all be on the field together for a game this season.
The Giants (2-8) ride a six-game losing streak into Chicago.