The New York Giants are getting closer and closer to putting Jason Pierre-Paul back on the field, although no one is quite sure how the injury to his hand is going to affect his ability.
Pierre-Paul was one of the best pass rushers in the NFL before his July 4 incident which left him without his right index finger. The Giants did consider not playing him at all this season (and thus saving themselves a lot of money) but after Pierre-Paul showed up at the facility and revealed his condition, while the Giants consulted medical experts regarding how Paul Pierre-Paul could contribute on the field, they’ve decided it’s time to see what he has.
He’s back on the practice field, but the question is whether or not the injury to his hand will affect his ability to get to the quarterback. Former San Diego Chargers head physician David J. Chao doesn’t think that his ability to use his right hand as the base of his three-point stance will be affected, which means he doesn’t have to go back to basics.
However, one thing that might be a problem is overcoming opposing lineman blocking his way to the ball carrier. Grip is an important part of getting through and while he can get by on his speed in certain situations, being unable to throw the offensive lineman off of you, especially when trying to go through a number of them towards the quarterback, could be a problem.
Regardless, the Pierre-Paul contract, including incentives, can reach up to $8.7 million for the rest of the season, although it’s not quite clear what the guarantee is (rather low), with his bonuses being reachable goals according to the report. That number is equal to the prorated amount Pierre-Paul would have made on the franchise tag over the same span.