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With a 2-6 record at the end of the month of October, the New York Giants are in a position where they are expected to be sellers ahead of next week's NFL Trade Deadline. This doesn't necessarily mean that anything will unfold between now and Tuesday afternoon, but teams will certainly be calling Giants general manager Joe Schoen to see which pieces, if any, they can pillage. But as is the case with any teams, there are going to be a few Giants who are nonstarters.
According to ESPN's NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, oft-injured 3rd-year offensive lineman is one of those players for the Giants.
“Offensive lineman Evan Neal is a nonstarter in trade talks,” says Fowler. “Never say never with trades, but the Giants have no plans to move him, and he could see the field sooner than later.”
Each of Evan Neal's first three NFL seasons have been cut short due to injuries, including one that cost him ten games last season and required postseason ankle surgery. The Giants hoped that as Neal returned to action he would be able to make a transition from guard to right tackle this year, but a preseason injury to the very same ankle has cost the third-year pro the first eight games of the 2024 season as well.
Even with up and down play and legitimate injury concerns, the Giants can't cut bait on the 7th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft just yet.
Offensive line remains point of concern for New York Giants
With or without Evan Neal in the lineup, the New York Giants offensive line has been an unmitigated disaster for the last two and a half years. Last season, the G-Men were dead last in the same category, allowing 85 sacks in 2023, the second-most in a single-season in NFL history. In 2022, despite a Playoff appearance, the Giants were still bottom five in the league in sacks allowed.
This year, the Giants are 29th in sacks allowed, with only the Browns, Texans and Patriots faring worse. This is a big reason why New York is 31st in scoring at the halfway mark of the season.
Nobody will question Joe Schoen's decision to take Malik Nabers over an offensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft. Nabers clearly has star potential, but if Schoen survives this upcoming offseason, he'll need to prioritize building an offensive line that can protect whoever is starting at quarterback in New York next year.
