Harbaugh's Wednesday comments explain Najee Harris's inactive status, but not Jason Pinnock's.
Harbaugh said this week Harris, out since tearing his Achilles with the Chargers last season, is "looking good" and nearing a decision. Pinnock's Week 1 inactive status remains unexplained by any source.
Giants coach John Harbaugh offered the first on-the-record explanation this week for why running back Najee Harris was inactive in the season opener — while safety Jason Pinnock's absence remains as unexplained as it was Sunday.
Neither player was on the injury report before the Giants' Week 1 win over the Cowboys, GiantsGator reported at the time. Asked this week about Harris's "ramp up," Harbaugh told reporters, per a giants.com transcript: "He's looking good. He's looking good. We'll continue this week to see where he's at and make a decision by the end of the week."
Harris has not played since tearing his Achilles in Week 3 of last season with the Chargers, an injury then-Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed at the time (no relation to Giants coach John Harbaugh). Giants.com's own Week 2 Tracker tied Harris's inactive status directly to that recovery, noting he "has not played since suffering an Achilles injury in Week 3 last season with the Chargers." Harris signed with the Giants in August.
No one — not Harbaugh, not giants.com, nor any beat reporter's coverage found through Wednesday afternoon — has offered a similar explanation for Pinnock, who started at safety in training camp and remains listed there on the team's depth chart. He went unmentioned in this week's coach's press conference and in the Giants' own Week 2 coverage.
The Giants' official Week 2 injury report, delayed because they don't play the Rams until Monday night, had not been posted as of Wednesday afternoon.