Victor Cruz's attempt to reclaim what once made him among the league's best receivers remains in a rut.
After missing the team's first preseason contest with a groin injury and being usurped on the first depth chart by rookie Sterling Shepard, Cruz's fight for his job continues to be an uphill battle. After the receiver returned to practice to participate in individual drills, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo told reporters Sunday that the receiver's groin injury is still noticeably bothering him, and he'll be re-evaluated, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
After suffering a devastating knee injury in 2014 and a rare calf injury that resulted in surgery in 2015, Cruz is again struggling to get healthy enough to make a difference for the Giants' offense. The exception is trending toward becoming the rule, though Cruz downplayed his latest hurdle last week and instead emphasized he was using past experiences to take it slow this time around.
"No, I kind of get one every camp," Cruz told reporters Tuesday. "It's just whether I play through it or it just times up on an off day or something like that. It's just a little tightness. I just have to get in the training room, ice it up and it'll be all right.
"I'm not frustrated. I just have to listen to my body and make sure I'm going about this the right way. I don't want to ignore something and then have another major setback."
McAdoo added that rookie corner Eli Apple is dealing with a muscle strain.
