Sleeping on Tuesday night was a challenge for Daniel Bellinger. The ribs he described as “very sore’’ coming out of last week’s loss to the Eagles made rolling over on his side quite uncomfortable. A day later, the rookie tight end was a limited participant in practice and he anticipates he will have no limitations Sunday night in a key game against the Commanders.

“Running around I didn’t think about it too much, just moving around and twisting a little bit to make sure it’s all good,” Bellinger said Wednesday, proclaiming his ribs “a lot better.”

This is good news for the Giants. Their production at tight end is not where it needs to be and Bellinger is their best option. He missed four games after needing eye surgery and stayed on the field for only 39 snaps against the Eagles. Bellinger in the second quarter reached up to catch a pass from Daniel Jones that actually lost 1 yard and got slammed in the midsection by safety Marcus Epps.

“That was the initial blow,’’ Bellinger said. “It really didn’t hurt much until later, we came out for the second half, that’s when I really started to feel it.”

Bellinger expects to have his ribs wrapped for this upcoming game. He continues to wear a visor as extra protection for his surgically repaired left eye — he had a fractured eye socket and damage to the septum — and said he might switch from a tinted visor to a clear one because the game is at night.

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Saquon Barkley was a full participant in practice after dealing with a neck issue last week. … OL Josh Ezeudu (neck), OL Shane Lemieux (toe) and CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee) did not practice. Bellinger, DL Leonard Williams and OLB Elerson Smith were limited. … WR Richie James and DE Jihad Ward are in the concussion protocol. Both players were outside in the cold running on the side during practice, a good sign for their ability to pass through the protocol in time to play on Sunday.

Safety Xavier McKinney continues to heal from the broken fingers that kept him out since the bye week. McKinney, though, has not yet returned to practice and he will not play on Sunday. … Ben Bredeson, who has not played since suffering a sprained knee in Week 7 in Jacksonville, could be activated off injured reserve and might return to the starting lineup at left guard. “Hopefully he’ll have a good week and we’ll see by the end of the week,’’ coach Brian Daboll said.

With James in the concussion protocol, the Giants needed insurance on special teams in the return game and signed Jaydon Mickens to the practice squad. Mickens, 28, in 38 NFL games has 69 punt returns for the Jaguars and Raiders, averaging 8.4 yards, with one touchdown. Mickens also has 35 career kickoff returns, averaging 23.2 yards. He has 15 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns and was a member of the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV winning team. If James is unavailable — this is his second concussion of the season — the Giants could elevate Mickens to return punts.

To make room on the practice squad, offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka’s contract was terminated.

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WR Wan’Dale Robinson underwent surgery to repair his torn right ACL. He was injured in the Nov. 20 loss to the Lions and spent the past few weeks strengthening his right knee prior to the reconstruction procedure. Given the timing of the surgery, Robinson will likely begin the 2023 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The second-round pick, slowed by injuries in his rookie year, has 23 receptions for 227 yards and one touchdown.