NFC Notes: Cardinals, Bosa, Giants

While D.J. Humphries‘ recovery from a knee injury could linger into the preseason, the rest of the Cardinals offensive line is looking healthy this spring. As Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic writes, many of the team’s projected starters are feeling good, including Justin Pugh (hand/knee), A.Q. Shipley (knee), and Marcus Gilbert (quad).

“I feel great, I’m 100 percent,” Pugh said. “Going into last year I was coming off an injury and last I broke the hand and had an MCL issue that sidelined me, but everything is 100 percent and I feel great. [Strength and conditioning coach] Buddy Morris did an unbelievable job with me this offseason, so a huge shout out to Buddy and our training staff.”

Six Cardinals linemen finished last season on the injured reserve, so the team is looking forward to meshing prior to the regular season.

“It’s amazing when you play this game and you see how guys battle back from stuff, see how everybody handles stuff and how everybody collectively comes together,” said Humphries. “We’re here to get better and that’s the fun part about it. We all went through something last season, but we’re going to figure this out, we’re going to roll with it and we’re going to be better than we were last season.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…

• 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain and will miss the next few weeks of practice, according to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. The second-overall pick suffered the injury during Tuesday’s OTAs, and he had just returned to the field after recovering from a bilateral core muscle injury (and the subsequent surgery).
• Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is always looking for ways to improve his defensive line, but Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com doesn’t envision the team pursuing Gerald McCoy. Dunleavy suggests former Chargers tackle Corey Liuget or former Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey could be more realistic options.
• Dunleavy doesn’t believe the Giants will be able to hang on to all of their young cornerbacks. The grouping, which includes Sam Beal, Grant Haley, DeAndre Baker, Corey Ballentine and Julian Love, will have a tougher time making the roster if the Giants end up holding on to one of their end-of-roster veterans. Specifically, Dunleavy notes that Tony Lippett or special teams ace Antonio Hamilton could pair up with starter Janoris Jenkins.