Jason Pierre-Paul's Hand Injury Reportedly Worse Than Giants Were Led to Believe

There may be another development in the ongoing drama surrounding Jason Pierre-Paul's right hand. It has been widely reported that the New York Giants defensive end is missing his right index finger. According to ESPN.com's Dan Graziano, the problem may be much more serious.

"One source said that, in addition to the missing right index finger, fractured thumb and skin grafts...a portion of one of the other fingers on Pierre-Paul's right hand is missing," Graziano wrote.

He added that the Giants have no current plans to rescind Pierre-Paul's one-year franchise tender, but the the two-time Pro Bowler could be out for the season no matter what New York does in terms of a contract.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post wasn't shocked to read the injury may be worse than first thought:

The Post's Bart Hubbuch still wondered why Pierre-Paul waited so long before making the full situation known to the team:

"

It looks like JPP actually thought he could come in and fake the Giants out. Hilarious.

— Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) September 13, 2015"

A picture of Pierre-Paul's injured hand has not yet been made public. The best look fans have gotten came from these photos published in the New York Daily News in July:

Pierre-Paul had a physical with the Giants on Monday, per NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer, which was the first time he met with team officials since his July 4 weekend fireworks accident.

At the least, it appears obvious that Pierre-Paul will miss the first few weeks of the regular season, and that's a conservative estimate.

Not only must the 26-year-old get back into football shape, but he also has to prove he can still play at a high level. Performing the duties of a defensive end will be difficult without a right index finger. If Pierre-Paul is, in fact, missing part of another finger, it's fair to wonder whether he can be a productive presence on the line.