Giants TE Evan Engram will return to practice

The New York Giants have limped out of the gate to the 2018 season earning just a single win in the first five games played, but the team looks to have taken a stride forward offensively.

This effort could be ramped up with the return of second-year tight end Evan Engram returning to the fold for Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles after being out of the mix for the last two contests due to a sprained MCL, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said on Tuesday morning that tight end Evan Engram will practice at full speed later in the day. Engram has missed the last two games with a sprained MCL and had not practiced since getting hurt before he was listed as a limited participant for Monday’s walkthrough practice.

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This could provide some more much-needed offensive firepower to the mix as Engram has quickly proven in his brief time in the league that he is a highly dependable receiving threat. Through the first three games, he had notched 10 receptions for 104 receiving yards and a touchdown. He has had looked to be improving on his catching ability as he had secured 10 of his first 13 targets in the passing game this year.

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Engram will have a chance to add to that likely in Thursday’s game where the Giants are looking to get on the right track. The team is coming off a strong outing against the Carolina Panthers that saw them put together arguably their best offensive outing of the season. Quarterback Eli Manning had passed for a season-high 326 yards while star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had six catches for 131 receiving yards and a touchdown along with a 57-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Saquon Barkley.

The return of Engram will provide Manning another key weapon to the offense that could prove to be pivotal in their effort to get past the defending champions.