Evan Neal’s make-or-break year with the Giants got off to an inauspicious start.
The 23-year-old right tackle, who was projected as a starter throughout the offseason, will begin training camp on the physically unable to play list.
He missed 10 games last season, including the final eight games after what he thought was a sprained ankle turned out to be a mild fracture.
Neal underwent surgery in early January and recovered enough to take part in a walk-through during OTAs in May, but appeared to regress as spring training progressed.
He did not participate in either the 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 games.
The time he’s missed practice will continue when training camp begins on Wednesday, a situation made worse by the fact that, unlike quarterback Daniel Jones (torn ACL), Neal decided not to spend much of his offseason rehab time at the team facility.
Neil is trying to rebuild a career that is heading for collapse, but he is missing out on valuable practice opportunities.
The former No. 7 overall draft pick has allowed 10 sacks and 81 quarterback pressures in 20 career games, according to Pro Football Focus.
So how will the Giants handle Neal’s absence?
Josh Ezeudu played right tackle in Neal’s absence during the spring. Ezeudu also filled in at left tackle when Andrew Thomas was out, suggesting he could be next in line to play swing tackle if a temporary solution is needed.
But the Giants could be looking for a more permanent alternative.
Free agent signing Jermaine El-Emno was a better right tackle than Neal the past two seasons with the Raiders under new Giants offensive line coach Carmen Burcillo.
The Giants signed El Emnor because of his versatility and familiarity with blocking tactics, and he worked out at left guard in the spring with the expectation that Neal would be assigned to right tackle in the summer.
Aaron Stinney is the leading candidate to be the first-team left guard if the Giants move El Emnor to right tackle and try to create a position battle for Neal when he becomes available.
Free agent Greg Van Roten, who started all 17 games at right guard for the Raiders last season, visited the Giants on Monday.
During an episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” general manager Joe Sean named Thomas and center John-Michael Schmitz (a 2023 second-round draft pick) as the young core of the offensive line. Neal’s exclusion was obvious.
