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It happened. There was nothing Wan’Dale Robinson could do about it.
His right knee was damaged, and his rookie season with the Giants ended prematurely.
He was told he faced a nine-month recovery process, and immediately one thought raced through his mind.
“What can I do to make it eight?’’ Robinson said Tuesday.
Barely 8¹/₂ months later, there was Robinson, out there on the field with the Giants, having been removed from the physically unable to perform list earlier in the morning.
Will he be ready to take the field with his teammates when the Giants open their season Sept. 10 against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium?
That seems to be a long-shot possibility for a player less than nine months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Clearly, though, the Giants believe Robinson is not far away from being able to contribute. On a day the Giants trimmed their roster to the league-mandated 53 players, they added Robinson.
If the second-year wide receiver remained on the PUP list he would be required to miss the first four games.
“There was a lot of discussions about that relative to when he might be ready, when he’s not ready, what’s the best thing for the player, what’s the best thing for the team,’’ coach Brian Daboll said.
What Daboll would not say is whether he thinks Robinson will be available for the first game.
The Giants will practice three times this week, get three days off and then have a full week of preparation before facing the Cowboys.
“At the end of the day I just want to help this football team win,’’ Robinson said. “Whether that’s Week 1 and I feel comfortable out there or Week 2 or Week 3, whenever that may be. I’m hoping for Week 1 but just want to help the team win.’’
The plan is for Robinson to work in individual drills, determine what he can handle and then advance him to the next stages of teamwork.
In his first action on the field with his teammates, he ran routes and caught passes from Daniel Jones for the first time since he went down in Week 11 last season against the Lions.
“I feel like it shouldn’t be too long,’’ Robinson said. “I just need somebody to start putting their hands on me so I can get comfortable with that and running routes against somebody.’’
This shows how much the front office and coaching staff values what Robinson can add to the offense. Robinson — at 5-foot-8 — works best running routes out of the slot, and the Giants have no shortage of players who are considered slot targets.
They released one of them, veteran Jamison Crowder, and still have 30-year-old Sterling Shepard, coming off his own ACL surgery, on the roster.
Veteran Cole Beasley, signed this summer, was cut but is expected to stay around, as he is dealing with a quad issue that kept him off the field the past few weeks.
Rookie speedster Jalin Hyatt is also comfortable working out of the slot.
The Giants added Parris Campbell, another proven slot target, in free agency
“I knew there was a plan, even when everybody was getting added in I still was able to talk to the guys and I just knew I had a role,’’ Robinson said.
The Giants used the 43rd-overall pick in the 2022 draft to take Robinson, who started his college career at Nebraska and ended it at Kentucky.
In 2021, Robinson had 104 receptions for 1,337 yards and nine touchdowns for the Wildcats, raising his profile on NFL draft boards.
He played in last year’s season opener, sprained a knee (medial collateral ligament) and missed the next four games.
Upon his return, Robinson slowly acclimated to the NFL. In Week 11, he finally broke out, catching nine passes for 100 yards in a loss to the Lions.
He also tore up his right knee, ending his rookie season with 23 receptions for 227 yards and one touchdown.
“I thought he was improving,’’ Daboll said. “Obviously the game he got hurt he was having a productive game. He was a rookie receiver learning a new offense. I think he’s got the right mindset, had good speed, had good quickness.’’
Robinson said that outbreak helped him realize he has what it takes to make it in the NFL.
“I felt really good, luckily I ended off on that note and I know exactly what I can do in this league,’’ he said.
Robinson had reconstructive knee surgery Dec. 14. He spent virtually the entire offseason at the Giants’ facility.
“I knew I wanted to be ready for the start of the season and I knew I would have to sacrifice some things to get back a little earlier than expected,’’ he said.
He is back, sooner than expected.
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