Giants' Wan'Dale Robinson cherishes return to field after tearing ACL
Wan'Dale Robinson #17 of the Giants is tackled by Tashaun Gipson Sr. #31 of the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter in the game at Levi's Stadium on September 21, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. Credit: Getty Images
Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t take anything for granted these days.
After tearing an ACL in November, Robinson returned to game action on Thursday night in the Giants’ 30-12 loss to the 49ers.
“Never having to really miss time like that before,” he said, “I’m definitely cherishing all of the moments being back out there and just wanting to give everything I’ve got with all of the snaps that I’m getting right now. It’s been great.”
Robinson was targeted five times against the 49ers. He caught four passes for 21 yards on a night when the Giants’ offense struggled.
His 11 offensive snaps represented 22% of the Giants’ total.
Robinson was on the field for the first time since Week 11 last season.
That he is back on the field nine months after the injury seems remarkable. It helped, he said, that he was part of meetings while he was hurt and as he rehabbed.
The Giants drafted Robinson in Round 2 in 2022.
Said coach Brian Daboll: “I think he can play inside, and I think he’s strong enough and fast enough — even though he’s a smaller, shorter guy — that he can contribute outside, too. This is another good guy that has ability to run after the catch, which is an important aspect of it.”
For Robinson and his teammates, there has been plenty to correct and fine-tune this week.
“I think you definitely have to watch the good and the bad games,” Robinson said. “You’ve got to be critical of yourself even whenever there are some bad things. You’ve got to look at the good, too. Just continue to see where you can get better, and I think that’s what we’re going to continue to do and just try to move on from the last game and continue to get better” against the Seahawks on Monday night.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
