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Teammate Cullen Jenkins (inset) said Jason Pierre-Paul is being realistic about the road back to the field he has in front of him.
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The difficulty of his comeback from a gruesome hand injury apparently is starting to dawn on Jason Pierre-Paul.
Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, among the handful of Giants players in regular contact with Pierre-Paul, said recent text messages from his absent Pro Bowl teammate have been more realistic than cocksure.
Pierre-Paul has been MIA to the Giants since the July 4 fireworks incident in South Florida resulted in the amputation of his right index finger and possibly other damage to the hand that has yet to be revealed.
“His attitude is, this [injury] kind of put things in perspective for him,” Jenkins told The Post on Thursday. “He realizes things could have been worse, although he’s in good spirits when I talk to him. He knows he has to work and get right, and he knows it’s not going to be easy.”
Jenkins, who said he first heard from Pierre-Paul a week after the accident, is so mindful of his teammate’s sensitivity about the situation that Jenkins doesn’t even mention football or his injury.
Although realistic, Jenkins also described Pierre-Paul as intent on making it back to the field.
“It’s hard to get the feel of a text message, but I know JPP, and JPP is a fighter,” Jenkins said. “He’s going to be determined, and he’s going to be determined to prove people wrong. And we definitely miss him.”
Victor Cruz’s triumphant return to NFL action probably will have to wait at least one more week.
Tom Coughlin said Thursday Cruz most likely will be held out of Saturday’s preseason home game against the Jaguars after the wide receiver suffered a calf strain earlier this week.
Cruz is hoping to appear in a game for the first time since his devastating torn patellar tendon injury in Philadelphia last October when the Giants face the Jets on Aug. 29 at MetLife Stadium.
The calf strain is unrelated to Cruz’s knee injury (it was to the other leg), but the Giants aren’t going to rush anything with him because it’s the exhibition season.
“Obviously, they were upping my reps this week in practice and seeing that I was feeling good and doing good,” Cruz said Thursday. “It was unfortunate that it happened, but it’s a good thing that it’s minor and I can get through it.”
Newly signed safety Brandon Meriweather is expected to make his Giants debut Saturday, although Coughlin said the former Pro Bowler will only play a “limited” amount.
“He’s been here a very short time, and this will be his first experience,” Coughlin said. “He’s trying to understand what we want of him and understand the terminology as best he can. He’s starting to grasp it.”
Odell Beckham Jr. returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s workout due to dental work.
The Giants held a shortened practice Thursday night that was more like a walk-through and even included some game-planning for the Jaguars with the scout team running Jacksonville’s plays.
Guard Justin Pugh also missed Wednesday’s practice for a trip to the dentist, which he said Thursday was to have an infected molar pulled.
“I’d rather practice than go get teeth pulled and not have a back right molar for two months,” Pugh said. “I had to go to an oral surgeon to get the image they needed to finally see. So they took the tooth out, put a bone graft in and all this stuff. I didn’t know you could do all that.”
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