Daniel Jones and Blake Martinez questionable for Sunday as linebacker misses Friday practice

Daniel Jones made progress on Friday. Blake Martinez took a step back. And now it’s unclear if the Giants could be without one or two key starters on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Jones (right hamstring strain) was upgraded to a full practice participant and may be trending toward playing this weekend, listed as questionable against the Cardinals (6-6).

But Martinez (lower back, questionable) missed Friday morning’s practice entirely, and the middle linebacker’s absence would be a major liability for the Giants (5-7) against speedy Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.

Both Jones’ and Martinez’s statuses remained up in the air as of Friday afternoon. Sitting Jones is still on the table because of the sensitivity of hamstrings and the potential risk of further injury.

“Look, we’re planning and preparing right now with plans for having both those guys as well as not having both those guys,” Giants head coach Joe Judge said prior to practice. “So it’s our job to do that and make sure we can play accordingly.”

Joe Judge hopes to know by Friday night if Daniel Jones can go Sunday vs. the Cardinals. (Seth Wenig/AP)

Judge said he was “fairly optimistic” about both players entering Friday’s second and final full practice of the week, but Martinez’s availability looks seriously in doubt.

He was not on the field at all during Friday’s open portion of practice, and Judge spent some time talking one-on-one with rookie inside linebacker Tae Crowder, the player who would replace Martinez if he can’t go.

Martinez, who ranks third in the NFL with 111 tackles, got hurt midway through last Sunday’s fourth quarter in Seattle.

His back appeared to grab as he broke for the ball in pursuit of running back Chris Carson for a tackle after a 12-yard completion. He left the game and did not return. Crowder replaced him on that drive and the Seahawks’ final possession, as well.

Blake Martinez (Stephen Brashear/AP)

Martinez prides himself on his durability. The win in Seattle was his 63rd straight regular season game going back to Week 15 of his 2016 rookie season with the Green Bay Packers. He had played 99% of the Giants’ defensive snaps in their first 11 games (716 out of 723).

“It just kind of happened,” Martinez said Thursday. “It was a crappy situation. There haven’t really been many points in my career that I’ve been out of the game, and if I did go out, I wouldn’t be out too long. It was definitely different for me.”

Jones, on the flip side, looked pretty good jogging during Friday’s stretch and individual periods. He was the first quarterback under center taking snaps from Nick Gates to kick off the offense’s reps. And he was a full practice participant for the first time since his Nov. 29 injury in Cincinnati.

Still, Judge said that he’d had a “long talk” with Jones on both Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, and the coach insisted he had to see Jones’ body respond well to the increased workloads before signing off on Sunday.

“Coming out of practice (Thursday when Jones was limited), there was some progress made,” Judge said. “We had a long talk with him after practice (and a) long talk with him (Friday) morning again … I’m more concerned just with how his body responds, in terms of overall soreness, to make sure this isn’t gonna roll over one day over another and they’re gonna stack up and it’s gonna be something negative on Sunday.

“I’ll see how he moves (Friday) relative to (Thursday),” Judge added. “I don’t think it necessarily has to be better. I just want to make sure that it’s functional and that he can protect himself.”

So Jones might be able to give it a go for the NFC East-leading Giants as they seek a fifth straight win. But if Judge is having so many long talks with his quarterback, it could mean that Jones is in jeopardy of missing a second straight game, or it could mean he’ll be allowed to play on the condition that he doesn’t open up the hamstring and take off.

That is a tricky situation, though, to tell a player he can play but put limitations on how he does it. That’s why Judge constantly says he will only play Jones if he feels he can protect himself properly and if there isn’t a significant risk of aggravating the injury.

Backup Colt McCoy started and won in Seattle behind a strong running game and defense last week. It’s the same game plan no matter who is in at quarterback, and if the Giants have to roll with McCoy again, they will.

“I’m fairly optimistic,” the coach said of Jones. “At the same time there’s a ways to go, and we’ve gotta be fair to him. I’m gonna talk to the trainers and make sure the medical team and coaching staff are on the same page and that we do the right thing by this guy.”

Judge said Martinez had done “fairly well” on Thursday while limited in that first practice.

“He did mostly everything (Thursday) in practice for the most part,” Judge said. “There were some things we kinda held him out of in terms of some of the more violent drills as far as hitting some of the shields and pads. Other than that, the guy went through practice for the most part for us (and) had a good day. We’ll see where he’s at.”

Judge said in a “perfect world” he would like to know in his own mind by Friday night whether Jones is going to play on Sunday. And he certainly prefers not to go through Saturday’s walkthrough with uncertainty about who his starting QB will be.

“(Friday’s) gonna be a tell-tale sign for both of those guys to be honest with you,” Judge said.

If that’s the case, then it doesn’t look good for Martinez, but there could be hope for Jones.

Rookie slot corner Darnay Holmes (knee) was downgraded Friday and did not practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. If Holmes sits out, that could mean increased snaps for rookie safety Xavier McKinney, who has played 11 total defensive snaps in his first two NFL games the past two weeks. McKinney was drafted as a safety, but in a system that values versatility, don’t be surprised to see him continuing to handle different assignments, whether it’s at safety or possibly even in the slot in place of Holmes … Special teams corner Madre Harper (knee) is out for Sunday and has been placed on injured reserve. He will miss a minimum of three games. The Giants signed safety Montre Hartage off the practice squad to take his place … Rookie right tackle Matt Peart (ankle) was limited on Friday and is questionable for Sunday.