Maybe a sense of familiarity will help Daniel Jones and the Giants’ offense finally break out.
At this point, it can’t be much worse than what’s already out there.
Head coach Brian Daboll said it before practice Wednesday, then repeated it for emphasis: Wide receiver Sterling Shepard is set for a bigger role.
“It beats sitting on the sideline,” Shepard told The Post after practice. “This is a game that I love, that I’ve played since I was 5 years old. I’ve never really been in that situation where I was just watching. So of course, being on the field is gonna be a lot better than what it’s been the last few weeks.”
The longest-tenured Giant after being drafted in the second round in 2016 by Jerry Reese’s regime, Shepard played just five offensive snaps in the team’s embarrassing 24-3 “Monday Night Football” loss to the Seahawks, catching his only target for a 6-yard reception.
He’s played just 31 total offensive snaps this season, or 11.8 percent of the team’s offensive plays, and has just two catches for 10 yards.
Wan’Dale Robinson, who was drafted by the current regime in last-year’s second round, is best in the slot, where Shepard operates.
Now healthy from a torn ACL last year, Robinson is atop the depth chart there.
The Giants also drafted Jalin Hyatt in the third round and signed Parris Campbell this offseason, both of whom can operate in the slot and buried Shepard, who missed most of last year with a torn ACL after tearing his Achilles the year before, far down the pecking order.
But the Giants’ passing game has been dreadful, and their 771 passing yards are fourth-fewest in the league.
“I think Shep is a good player,” Daboll said. “We just didn’t call the plays [against the Seahawks] that were tagged with Shep’s plays, but he’s had some production with Daniel.”
Shepard has been teammates with Jones longer than anyone else on the team, and the two have long been close buddies.
That relationship has endured through both highs and lows, though they certainly grew accustomed to the latter earlier in their careers. In the midst of another low, perhaps Jones will benefit from throwing to his longtime partner-in-crime, and a friend who was often his biggest advocate. In 30 career games together, Jones has targeted Shepard 212 times, completing 152 of them for 1,508 yards and eight touchdowns, according to StatMuse.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence and faith in Shep,” Jones said. “I’ve played a lot of football with him.”
The feeling of only being able to watch from a distance as his team struggles around him brought new emotions for Shepard.
But he’s been patiently keeping himself ready for this exact moment.
“You get into a situation like this, you see guys that kind of lose themselves and stop paying attention or whatever it may be, and then something happens, and stuff happens in this game all the time, you never know,” Shepard said. “It’s happened to me, in the blink of an eye and then things change and you’re not ready. I’ve tried my best to not get down. As tough as it was, it’s still tough. I’m used to playing 98 percent of the snaps, you go to taking two snaps in the game, it’s just a big change.”