Notes & Stats: Giants wrap up 2024 preseason

Moments later, responding to another question about Schmitz, Daboll said, “He’s a lineman and he needs it. He needs it. Offensive linemen need to lean on people, need to pass block, need to run block, they need to be in the trenches. He’s a second-year guy that we’re counting on being a starter for us and he hasn’t been out there. The guys up front that have been out there, they’ve had a lot of reps and he needed to get them.”

Schmitz was in complete agreement.

“I felt like it was a great just to see where I was at physically,” Schmitz said. “I didn’t have a lot of training camp and it was nice to get some live action out there – no matter who was out there, just to get those game reps. They’re valuable reps.”

Schmitz’s stint lasted only 11 plays, because he injured his ankle when a Jets player rolled on it when Miller was stopped for no gain on fourth down on the Giants’ first possession.

“Ankle’s fine,” said Schmitz, who later added he is “not worried about” his availability for the Sept. 8 season opener against Minnesota.

*Another player who needed game reps was tackle Evan Neal, who hadn’t played since injuring his ankle in Las Vegas on Nov. 5. Neal underwent surgery in January. He was activated off the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Aug. 11.

“Evan needed to get them,” Daboll said. “Guys that aren’t out there need them. Availability is important.”

Like Schmitz, Neal injured his ankle in the game. But Daboll said that is not what prompted his removal. Neal was slated to take 20-25 snaps.

“He had 21, I believe,” Daboll said. “He was already going to be out. When I asked, he was at 21 plays is what I was told. So, he was right in that sweet spot of what we talked about leading into the game. He was out there before the ankle. I just had ankle on (his postgame list), but he was going to be out regardless.”

Neal also mimicked Schmitz in saying his injury was insignificant.

“I got up, I was fine,” he said. “I took a couple hops around, and I just kind of felt the doctor wanted to look at it, just to make sure I was fine. Probably won’t get a scan tomorrow, but as far as how I’m feeling, I feel okay. I don’t think there’s anything going on.”

Neal has been lining up with the second team in practice. Free agent acquisition Jermaine Eluemunor is the current starter at right tackle. But Neal said his arrow is pointing up after his first game appearance of the year.

“I feel like I played decent,” he said. “Obviously, it wasn’t ultimately up to my standard, but I mean, for my first game back in about a year, I feel like I did well in the run game. Pass protection. I was okay. I gave up the one sack, took a bad set angle. But I haven’t had the opportunity to take many live reps up to this point, so just kind of getting back into the game.”

*DeVito’s immediate status is to be determined. The Giants kept two quarterbacks on their roster in each of Daboll’s first two seasons. Last year, DeVito was released and placed on the practice squad, until he was needed to play when Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor suffered injuries.

When camp opened in July, he was the No. 3 QB behind Jones and Drew Lock. But Lock suffered an oblique injury early in the preseason opener on Aug. 8 and hasn’t played since. If he’s not ready to play, DeVito would be the backup, unless the Giants bring in another quarterback. If Lock is ready, would the Giants cut DeVito, who would likely draw more interest from other teams this year after he won three games as a starter in 2023?

“We’ve discussed that,” Daboll said. “We’ll discuss it here over the next couple of days and, again, try to do what we think is best for the team. … We’ll talk about that tomorrow as a staff (and) the next day, make our decisions. We could release some people tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.

“I have confidence in Tommy, but I’m not going to get into roster decisions right now, right after this game.”