New York Giants to Make Major Change on Offensive Line in Week 10

The New York Giants are planning to make a major change on their offensive line this weekend for their international game in Munich against the Carolina Panther.

That change, per NFL insider Aaron Wilson, will see Evan Neal, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2022 who struggled in his first two seasons through technique issues and injuries, get his first starting assignment this year, where he would play right tackle, and Jermaine Eluemunor, who has started every game this season at right tackle, moving to left tackle, in place of Chris Hubbard (illness) who had a rough outing in his two games as a starter for the Giants.

Hubbard, who was signed three weeks ago after the Giants lost starting left tackle Andrew Thomas to a season-ending foot injury and then struggled with the left tackle position with third-year man Joshua Ezeudu, has given up 14 pressures and two sacks in 82 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Hubbard is in his 11th NFL season but has played most of his NFL snaps at right tackle. The 134 snaps he’s played at left tackle for the Giants this season represent slightly more than half of his career 262 snaps at the position.

Eluemunor has played every snap at right tackle since the spring, when Neal, who had season-ending ankle surgery last year, suffered a setback in his recovery that landed him on the PUP list for most of training camp. Eluemunor told reporters a couple of weeks ago that while he would be willing to play left tackle if asked, he preferred to stay on the right side.

He last played at left tackle in 2023 while with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he made two starts in Weeks 10 and 11. Over that stretch, he allowed seven of his 28 total pressures given up in that season.

Hubbard landed on the injury report this week with an illness. He made the trip with the team to Munich, but his benching isn’t believed to be a result of his illness.

Rather, it appears to be more of the coaches wanting to see what Neal, whose last start came in Week 9 of the 2023 season against the Raiders but who has played just one offensive snap this season (that as a jumbo tight end last week) brings to the table now that he’s had several weeks of good health and a chance to work on his technique under new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.  

Before his season-ending injury last year, Neal had allowed 29 pressures and two sacks in seven games for a 94.6 pass-blocking efficiency rating. He gave up 52 pressures and eight sacks the year prior for a 94.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating.

His 52 pressures allowed in his rookie season were tied for the third-most allowed by all tackles in the league that year.