Former first-rounder from Alabama returns to New York Giants’ lineup

In the New York Giants’ first nine games of the 2024 NFL season, Evan Neal played two snaps. On Sunday, the former Alabama All-American played 75 as he returned to the Giants’ starting lineup at right offensive tackle.

“We’re looking forward with him and trying to build off the last game,” New York general manager Joe Schoen said, “so, yeah, it’s important that he could come in and contribute for us and, again, just help us win. And that’s what we’re looking for. Whoever the best five are right now, we want them out there so we can go out and produce. And, again, I’m rooting for Evan. He’s done everything the right way since he’s been back on the grass, and it paid off the other night and he played well.”

After New York took Neal with the seventh selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, he started every game at right tackle when healthy in his first two season. But he wasn’t always healthy. He missed four games as a rookie and 10 games last season. He had ankle surgery on Jan. 2, spent the first three weeks of training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list and opened the season as the backup to free-agent signee Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle.

After adding Neal in 2022, the Giants were supposed to be set at offensive tackle because their left tackle was Andrew Thomas, the No. 4 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. But when Thomas sustained a season-ending foot injury in a 17-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 13, New York played three games without either tackle in the lineup.

In a 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 20, Thomas’ backup, Joshua Ezeudu, went all the way at left tackle.

In a 26-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 28, Chris Hubbard started at left tackle. The Giants had signed the former UAB standout off the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad on Oct. 18, and he started at left tackle for the first time in his NFL career 10 days later.

Hubbard stayed in the starting lineup for a 27-22 loss to the Washington Commanders on Nov. 3.

But for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, Eluemunor moved to left tackle and Neal started at right tackle.

“He’s been doing a good job in practice and, again, just trying to get the best five out there,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said of Neal. “A lot of respect for Jermaine having to go over there to the left side. He’s been doing a really good job for us on the right side. But Evan has increasingly gotten better throughout practice and wanted to give him an opportunity based off of his practice performance and what he’s done in practice to see how those five players would go together. Ran the ball well, got movement at the line of scrimmage. It was good to see him out there and had some really nice plays and then some things we got to clean up on like everybody does.”

The Giants lost to the Panthers 20-17 in overtime, but Neal drew praise for his play from the general manager.

“Evan played well the other day,” Schoen said. “A lot of energy. He’s had that in practice the last few weeks, and he’s been practicing well. He transferred that, transitioned that to the game. It’s hard when you’re the No. 7 pick in the draft and you’re not playing. And he’s practicing at a high level, but Jermaine was playing well, too, so it took some time for us to make the move. And what I like about it is when his number was called, he was ready. And again, he went out and he played well and played with energy and was really good in the run game, was solid in the pass game.

“And I’m happy for him because I know it’s been hard for him, being injured and not being able to play and wanting to play. So, yeah, I thought he did a good job the other night.”