Notebook: Jermaine Eluemunor’s injury is ‘nothing serious’

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jermaine Eluemunor yesterday received the same painful lesson he now shares with many NFL offensive linemen: it’s a bad idea to collide with Dexter Lawrence.

“Not fun. Not fun at all,” Eluemunor said today. “It’s not the most fun thing I’ve had to deal with.

“I was trying to cut off, and Dex thought he was being trapped so he obviously lowered his shoulder and it just so happened that he lowered his shoulder into my rib cage. So, it wasn’t the most fun pain I’ve had to deal with but I’m out here today, so that’s what really matters.”

Eluemunor, the free agent acquisition who was taking the first-team reps at right tackle, was inadvertently hit by Lawrence, the Giants’ two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle, in the team’s initial training camp practice. Though he remained on the ground for several minutes and left the workout, tests revealed Eluemunor has bruised ribs.

“It’s a big man hit,” Eluemunor said. “It’s like you get hit by a truck.

“Definitely my ribs. Could not breathe too well. But, like I said, when you’re going against a big man like that, you’re going to take a hit or two, and you just got to get back up and keep going.”

Today, Eluemunor did some individual work and was on the field but did not participate in team drills.

“In my, what, eight-year career, I haven’t missed a day of training camp,” Eluemunor said. “So, I was going to come out here either way and try and do as much as I could.

“It’s just really bad bruising, so nothing that should keep me out for too long. Hopefully, I can get back out there real soon.”

In his press conference prior to practice, coach Brian Daboll confirmed that’s a likely timeline.

“Nothing serious,” Daboll said. “It’s two men kind of colliding there accidentally. He’s going to do individual today, we’ll see where he’s at after. If he can do more, he’ll do more. If not, we’ll keep him out of team, but nothing serious.

“Did tests, looked at him. He’s okay. He was back in meetings yesterday. He’s a tough, tough man. He’s going to go out there. He wants to do some individual stuff.”

Eluemunor was playing right tackle because Evan Neal is on the active/physically unable to perform list as he rehabilitates an ankle injury he suffered last year. In practice today, Josh Ezeudu again took the first-team reps at right tackle and Aaron Stinnie played left guard, where Eluemunor lined up all spring.