Giants rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger will undergo surgery Thursday to repair the fractured eye socket he sustained after being jabbed in the left eye by a Jaguars linebacker during Sunday’s game in Jacksonville. A source indicated that Bellinger is hopeful that he will be able to return this season and possibly as early as the team’s Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys in Dallas.
As expected, the Giants moved quickly to add a tight end to the roster Tuesday. The team signed Andre Miller to the practice squad to give themselves some depth at tight end.
Miller was in training camp with the Giants this summer after playing his collegiate career as a wide receiver with Maine. In four seasons with the Black Bears, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Miller caught 104 passes for 1,848 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a forearm injury when the Giants trimmed the roster to 80 players this summer and later given his release.
Coach Brian Daboll said Monday he did not know the timetable for Bellinger’s return from the eye surgery, but it is safe to assume he will be out an extended period. The Giants have two tight ends — Chris Myarick and Tanner Hudson — on the active roster and Miller joins Lawrence Cager on the practice squad.
Bellinger, of course, had been in the midst of a terrific rookie season before being jabbed in the eye after making a 13-yard reception from Daniel Jones. The Giants would probably love to replace Bellinger with a more high profile tight end before the Nov. 1 trade deadline, but they have only $2.7 million in salary cap space. If Bellinger can return after just a three-game absence, it would be a huge lift for the Giants.
The Giants also have another roster decision to make Wednesday concerning offensive lineman Nick Gates, who is attempting to come back from seven surgeries after being sidelined by a severe leg fracture in Week 2 last season. The Giants have to decide Wednesday to either place him on the active roster or return him to the physically unable to perform list for the remainder of the season.
If he’s healthy, he could add line depth at a time when the team is down two starters after guard Ben Bredeson and tackle Evan Neal suffered knee injuries Sunday in Jacksonville.
Story by Bob Brookover, NJ.com.