ALBANY, N.Y. -- Chris Canty may not have declared himself ready for the season opener, but the Giants defensive tackle did give reason for optimism as he recovers from a knee injury.

"My knee is in better shape than it was in November, December of last season," said Canty, who is on the PUP list. "It's just a matter of making sure that we're smart, so that moving forward, everything will be fine. We'll have no setbacks; we won't have any kind of lingering issues. I think they're taking the right approach, and I have the utmost confidence in the coaches and the medical staff."

The Giants can use him. Canty is a reliable veteran at a position that isn't as healthy as it was. Shaun Rogers has a blood clot that will require anticoagulant medication, which makes playing football impossible this season. Marvin Austin is also being evaluated for a back injury. That leaves room for players like Markus Kuhn and Dwayne Hendricks, and the Giants will add another defensive tackle.

"I thought we were as deep there as we were at any position on the team, and it's not that way right now," coach Tom Coughlin said.

Kuhn said he and the other tackles on the team will look to take advantage of the available playing time.

"You've got to make the best of your opportunities," Kuhn said. "You have to go day by day and work hard every day because you never know when it could be your last. I guess for the younger guys, they have to step up and take more snaps in practice and we'll have to go and see what happens."

Canty would not specifically rule out the idea of being back for the opener on Sept. 5 against Dallas.

"It's tough to say. It's a matter of making sure that we can put together enough good days, making sure that I'm feeling good, and in the kind of shape that I would need to be in to compete at a high level," he said. "I'm not going to rule it out; it's still a possibility. Obviously, I would definitely look forward to being out there on opening day with my guys, being able to hunt. We'll see."