As part of their ongoing NFL preseason, the New York Giants are back at practice before they welcome the Detroit Lions to town later this week. However, Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal is still unavailable, casting further doubt on his return.
Not having Neal available during training camp is nothing new for a Giants team that has already sought help elsewhere on the line. Neal has suffered injuries since the Giants used the No. 7 overall pick to select him in the 2022 NFL Draft. He had offseason surgery in January to repair an ankle injury and missed all of New York's workouts.
Already shrouded in doubt, Neal remains on the PUP list despite general manager Joe Schoen recently saying the lineman was getting close to returning. However, when pressed on when Neal will return, Giants head coach Brian Daboll gave a cryptic response on the lineman's return.
If Neal starts the season on the PUP list, his status changes to inactive/PUP, meaning he won’t count against the 53-man roster and would have to miss at least four games.
Daboll did say that once Neal was healthy, the plan was to work him at tackle. That comes as no surprise, as with Neal having been limited during the spring before being shut down, there wasn’t much opportunity for him to cross-train at guard — the position he's better suited for.
Why Evan Neal needs to be back on field for Giants
Last season, Neal was one of the worst players at his position in football. He ranked 80th out of 81 qualified offensive tackles in PFF grades. Considering where the Giants took him in the 2022 NFL Draft, Neal has more than earned bust status in New York. However, that doesn't mean all hope is lost with Neal — it just might require a career change.
It may be time to consider training Neal as an offensive guard to push him inside. Given his frame at 6’7″ and 350 pounds, he may be better suited to anchor down the interior than to contend with speed rushers who exploit his weaknesses on the edge. But now, he may not even transition to a new position or start, especially with his inability to return to the field.
“Everybody handles things differently,” Daboll said about Neal. “It’s obviously not my profession in terms of him coming back, medical. I know he’s doing everything he can do, and when he’s ready — whether it’s a high draft pick or undrafted free agent, you care about all of your guys. When he’s ready, we’ll put him out there.”
Even before he can do that, Neal’s next biggest test will be moving heavy objects on his healing ankle. Until then, he’ll remain active/PUP, which means he counts against the 90-man training camp roster.
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