NFL

David Wilson not cleared for contact; Giants doc says next time

What David Wilson heard Wednesday was, in his view, “not ideal,’’ but it was certainly encouraging enough for him to believe it won’t be long before he is able to return to action and take his place in the backfield for the Giants.

Wilson is coming off neck surgery, and a new CT scan showed he’s made progress. But he did not receive medical clearance for contact, and will have to continue to be mostly a bystander for the remainder of the organized team activity practices this spring. Though the OTAs are non-contact, Wilson will be allowed to participate only on a limited basis.

This is not a grim prognosis. It is actually in keeping with the schedule the Giants figured Wilson would follow. He will have another checkup July 21, the day players report to training camp. Wilson and the Giants expect he will receive medical clearance at that time, but nothing is guaranteed. If Wilson does not receive the go-ahead, it would make sense for him to start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

“There has been significant progress and healing since David had the fusion,” said Dr. Russell Warren, the Giants’ team physician. “But the reality is it has only been four and one-half months since the surgery. We anticipate that when David is re-evaluated at the start of training camp he will be cleared at that point.”

Wilson is nearly five months into his rehab for a vertebrae fusion performed Jan. 16 by Dr. Frank Cammisa, a procedure that usually takes six months for a full recovery. It has been difficult for Wilson to be patient, and he was anxious to receive clearance.

“Everything I got this morning was good news – there was nothing bad or negative,” Wilson said. “I’m very pleased and very blessed for my healing process to continue.

“I sat down and Dr. Cammisa showed me the X-rays and the CAT scan and my surgery has been successful. We’re just waiting for the bone to heal strong enough for contact. The doctors will know when that point is. I feel perfectly fine.”

The injury limited Wilson to five games in 2013. The 2012 first-round draft pick insists he has not experienced any pain ever since suffering the injury last October in a game against the Eagles. In addition to the herniated disk, Wilson also has spinal stenosis, a congenital narrowing of the spinal cord.

The Giants have taken steps to move on without Wilson, signing veteran running back Rashad Jennings from the Raiders and selecting Andre Williams out of Boston College in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. They also re-signed veteran Peyton Hillis and have Michael Cox returning for a second season.

“When the defense is on the field, that’s the only time I’m not participating,” Wilson said of his workload. “I can do anything and everything that’s asked of me at this point. I’m removed when it’s defense vs. offense so as not to have an accident. I’m catching passes, taking handoffs from the quarterbacks and getting reps with the offense without the defense.’’