Sterling Shepard Injury Reportedly Not Expected to Be Serious

New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard will reportedly be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after suffering an ankle injury during practice Wednesday. 

Per ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Shepard is "in the clear" after undergoing an MRI on Thursday. Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said Shepard's MRI was "due diligence" for the team. Pat Leonard of the New York Post reported no additional damage was shown on the MRI other than the sprain to his left ankle. 

Sterling said he expects to be ready for Week 1, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

When Shepard originally injured his ankle, Raanan reported the second-year Oklahoma product was taken off the field on a cart in "serious pain" and appeared to be in tears.

McAdoo said Wednesday that Shepard's injury was a "basketball-type ankle" sprain, and they wanted to see how he responded to treatment, per Michael Eisen of the Giants' official website.

Shepard was one of the NFL's breakout rookies in 2016. He was selected in the second round with the 40th overall pick and started all 16 games for the Giants. The 23-year-old finished with 65 receptions for 683 yards and eight touchdowns.

Coming off a playoff appearance last season, expectations are high in New York heading into 2017.

A healthy Shepard gives the Giants one of the NFL's most formidable receiving trios, with Odell Beckham Jr. and the addition of free agent Brandon Marshall. First-round pick Evan Engram will also give quarterback Eli Manning another target at tight end.