Which New York Giants on PUP List Are Under the Most Pressure to Practice?

When New York Giants training camp opened up on Saturday, July 27, five players were left out of the action. Those five players are constituents of the Giants' active/PUP (physically unable to perform) list.

Surely, these players are aching to rejoin their teammates on the practice field, but they can only do so after receiving clearance from the team's medical staff. If a player does not gain that clearance by the end of camp, he could wind up missing the first six games of the season on the reserve/PUP list, or worse—he could be cut from the roster.

Once a player practices, though, he is immune to any further PUP designations. This slideshow will highlight, in order, the five New York Giants under the most pressure to reestablish themselves as an active, healthy member of the team.

*Stats are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.

RG Chris Snee

Chris Snee is rock solid. He has missed just one game in the past eight seasons and has held down the Giants' starting right guard position for nearly a decade. Selected one round behind quarterback Eli Manning in the 2004 NFL draft, Snee has always been the signal-caller's most reliable protector.

So when Snee started training camp on the PUP list after undergoing offseason hip surgery back in February, it was slightly surprising. There's no need to "rush back" to action, Snee explained to the Star-Ledger, as the 31-year-old is patiently waiting until he's 100 percent healthy.

There's relatively no pressure on Snee to return to practice, although he promises to be back before camp closes. He was a Pro Bowler in 2012 for the fourth time in five seasons. When he's good and ready, Snee will regain his starting position. Manning and the rest of the offense will be happy to have him back.

DE Jason Pierre-Paul

After a down season in year three, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul landed on PUP list while he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a herniated disk in his bothersome back. The timetable for his return pushes dangerously close to the team's season opener in Dallas.

With Pierre-Paul sidelined, utility defender Mathias Kiwanuka has assumed the starting role at right defensive end. The Giants can weather the storm for the time being, as a cast of young pass-rushers will flesh out the depth chart, but there's clearly an eagerness for the return of the team's best defender.

When Pierre-Paul does eventually make his comeback, the expectations will be high. He had 16.5 sacks in 2011. That total dropped to 6.5 last year. Giants fans are counting on the former All-Pro to have a bounce-back campaign in 2013, subsequently re-energizing a defense that ranked among the league's worst a season ago.

FB Henry Hynoski

Fantasy football owners are vacillating between lightning-quick playmaker David Wilson and consistent goal-line back Andre Brown. Neither player will be fully effective without an imposing lead blocker, though. The Giants need fullback Henry Hynoski.

In 2011, we saw how one-dimensional the Giants' offense can become when the running game isn't at full strength. Although the team rode Manning's arm all the way to a Super Bowl victory that season, that's not the most sustainable winning formula. 

Last season, Hynoski's second as a professional, the Giants possessed the league's seventh-best rushing yards-per-attempt average (4.6), and the team featured a much more balanced attack.

Hynoski played in all 16 games last season, establishing himself as an integral cog in the offensive backfield. The knee injury he suffered on the first day of organized team activities (OTAs) now has him eyeing a Week 1 return. Wilson, Brown and their respective fantasy owners will all be banking on a healthy Hynoski in the lineup on September 8.

DT Markus Kuhn

Unlike Snee, Pierre-Paul and Hynoski, defensive tackle Markus Kuhn didn't have the reassuring luxury of being listed as a starter when the Giants released their first "unofficial" depth chart on Thursday, August 1. The former seventh-round draft choice is very much on the roster bubble, currently listed at the very bottom of the depth chart.

Kuhn unexpectedly found his way into the defensive lineup last season after the Giants suffered a string of injuries at the defensive tackle position. By Week 10, Kuhn had joined the list of slain interior defensive linemen, as the German-born tackle was lost for the season with a torn ACL.

A developmental project to begin with, Kuhn has taken a major step backward with his recent injury. It'll be an uphill climb for Kuhn to get back into the mix. It also doesn't help that he is 27 years old and only in his second season as a professional.  

CB Terrell Thomas

All eyes have been on Terrell Thomas this offseason, but so far in training camp, he hasn't exactly been gawk-worthy. Coming off consecutive ACL injuries, speculation has been that Thomas may switch from his natural cornerback position to safety. In a blog post before training camp began, Thomas claimed he could be the New York's defensive "X-factor."

That clearly hasn't been the case through the first week of camp, as Thomas has yet to take the practice field. His recovery has been slow, as the former second-round selection is proceeding with a considerable deal of precaution. At some point, a sense of urgency must kick in, though.

In 2010, Thomas was the Giants' most productive cornerback, the team's statistical leader in tackles, pass defenses and interceptions. Now, two years removed from regular-season competition, Thomas now sits behind just about every defensive back on the depth chart. He is easily under the most pressure to return to practice and prove he still belongs on an NFL roster.