Free agent wide receiver Steve Smith visited with the Giants early this week in an effort to update them on his status.
This much is clear: Smith is expected to return to the Giants (eventually), and he’s not expected to help their team anytime soon.
“It went well. He seemed really upbeat, the guys were excited to see him,” Coughlin said. “It’s going to be kind of a long haul for Steve, so hopefully we can cut through some of that and see where it goes. It was good, though.”
Coughlin wouldn’t say whether he thinks Smith will play at all this year following microfracture surgery. His agent told Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger that they are in no hurry to sign.
It would be a surprise to us if Smith was on the field before midseason. While the Giants are strong at wideout with Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, Smith’s loss will especially be felt without tight end Kevin Boss to pick up the slack between the hashmarks.