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Health has been a problem for the New York Giants over the last few years. When the 2015 season came to end, they had an astonishing 22 players who either were put on the injured reserve list or the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Football Outsiders ended up declaring the Giants, the most injured team for the third consecutive season.

This prompted major changes by the Giants this off-season. Head coach Ben McAdoo, who is entering his first season as the HC, even mentioned Thursday as training camp got started that one of his summer goals is to “get out of camp healthy.” They are going to try to accomplish that by being smart early. The Giants first day with full pads is not until next Tuesday, which follows an off day.

They are starting from a much stronger baseline this season. Only three players will end up starting training camp on the PUP, barring any surprises from the limited testing that will happen on Thursday. They include defensive tackles Damon Harrison (knee), Jay Bromley (ankle), and linebacker J.T. Thomas (hamstring). The belief is that none of the injuries are believed to be serious. They are expected to be back at practice relatively fast.

Wide receiver Victor Cruz will not be joining them on the sideline. Cruz passed the Giants conditioning tests and will not be placed on PUP. He will try to complete his first practice in almost a year on Friday. This is a huge relief after the last two years because Cruz missed all of the last season with a calf injury and the previous year with a tear in his knee. But he has been training hard this summer with no limitation.

Harrison had some swelling on his knee. This is not an uncommon thing for the 350-pound player who was acquired in the off-season from the New York Jets. They eased Harrison off in the last few seasons because he has had fluid on his knee. Bromley had surgery to remove a bone spur earlier this summer. He has recently begun training in recent weeks and is close to ready.

Head coach Ben McAdoo also wanted to see Thursday afternoon to see the progress of several other players who are returning from injuries this spring. The Giants first training camp practice will be Friday morning at 10:40 AM (ET).