When practice began Wednesday in the bright sunshine, Sterling Shepard was on the field. He caught a few passes while getting loose with teammates and did a little skipping and dancing as he trotted off to the side to hit the stationary bicycle.

Later, Shepard did some light jogging on one field while the Giants were working on an adjacent field.

These are all positive signs for Shepard, the Giants’ No. 1 receiver. Shepard is in the concussion protocol and will be monitored closely all week. That he was able to do this much activity this early in the week is encouraging as far as the possibility he is cleared in time to play Sunday in the home opener against the Bills.

Still, there are no guarantees Shepard will be ready and the Giants took a step to bolstering their receiver corps. They will re-sign T.J. Jones, who was impressive in the summer and led the team in the preseason with 12 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. To make room for Jones, outside linebacker Kareem Martin is headed to injured reserve with a sprained knee.

Rookie receiver Darius Slayton continued to sit out with a hamstring issue and is highly unlikely to make his NFL debut this weekend.

“He’s a veteran presence — he’s veteran, for us, believe it or not,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said of Shepard. “He’s a tough, competitive guy. I’m not saying we’ve lost him. We’ll see what the week brings.’’

It looked as if Shepard was hit in the helmet in the third quarter blocking on a run by Saquon Barkley. Shepard engaged with Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones, fell to the ground and got up reaching for his head. He ended up playing 68 of the 69 offensive snaps and caught six passes for 42 yards.

“He’s a playmaker and a good player for us,’’ Eli Manning said. “We’ll see what happens. But we have other guys who can step up and make plays.’’

Jones, 27, caught 64 passes for 814 yards and four touchdowns in four seasons as a reserve with the Lions.

Right guard Kevin Zeitler came out of the game with a shoulder issue, but he said he is fine and he was able to participate in the first stages of practice.

“This isn’t medical jargon, I think he’ll be fine,’’ Shurmur said.

“I’m good, whatever it is, I’m good,’’ Zeitler said. “I’m always good. That’s the answer in the NFL, right?’’

Zeitler was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

LB Markus Golden (hip) and DL Dexter Lawrence (shoulder) were also limited.

The Cowboys released a video that included their receivers mocking the Giants defensive players for blown coverage.

“They’re all lost in the backfield,’’ WR Randall Cobb said when he returned to the bench after scoring a touchdown.

“They were kicking our asses, that bothers me more,’’ Jabrill Peppers said. “If we kick their ass, we’d talk too. When things are clicking for you, you can talk and say whatever you want to say. The beauty of it is we get to see those guys again.’’