State of the offensive line: Evan Neal, Jermaine Eluemunor updates

The Giants’ offensive line does have a way of frequently making news. Yesterday, Evan Neal, the presumptive starting right tackle, was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list as he continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired ankle. At his traditional camp-opening news conference with coach Brian Daboll, general manager Joe Schoen said Neal isn’t “far off.”

But he’s not yet practice-ready, so Daboll announced that Eluemunor, who played left tackle in the OTAs and minicamp, would take the initial first-team reps in camp at right tackle, where he started 12 games last season for Las Vegas and has started 32 in his career.

But Eluemunor took an apparent blow to his midsection midway through practice. After staying down on one knee for several minutes, he was moved to the sideline, where he was examined by the team’s medical staff, before walking into the locker room. There was no immediate update on his condition.

Josh Ezeudu, who started five games for the injured Thomas at left tackle last season, stepped in for Eluemunor.

Eluemunor is an eight-year veteran, and Stinnie is in his seventh NFL season. Both are first-year Giants, but Thomas said their experience made for an easy transition today.

“They’ve done it longer than I have,” said Thomas, a fifth-year pro and 2022 second-team all-pro. It helps, for sure. At this point, we’re just getting on the same page as far as language – if that makes sense – what our calls are. But as far as the scheme and understanding how to approach certain blocks, how to pass off games, all that stuff like that, it’s been good.”

Stinnie has played in 31 regular-season games with 12 starts for Tennessee and Tampa Bay, and played in seven postseason games with five starts for the Buccaneers, including one in Super Bowl LV. All his regular season starts were at left guard. In the playoffs, he has started three games at right guard and two at left guard.

He was on the second team line during the spring but placed no particular importance playing with the starters on the first day of camp. Stinnie said he learned of the switch this morning.

“At this point in my career, reps are reps at this point,” Stinnie said. “Whenever you get your rep is pretty much to me an opportunity to go out there and get better, and put on display what you can do. You just got to take your opportunities when you get them.

“I’ve always tried to prepare as a starter, whether I’m a backup, whether I was inactive or whether I was a starter, so that way in my mind, you never have to get ready if you are ready.”

Stinnie said his comfort level was enhanced by playing between Thomas and second-year center John Michael Schmitz.

“Both of those guys are really smart, great football players,” Stinnie said. “It’s great to have both of them there.”

The Giants would like to have Neal join them so they can determine their lineup.

“Right now, the focus is on getting him on the field, and then we’ll see where we are once he’s healthy and able to practice,” Schoen said. “Then those things will take care of themselves.

“He’s not far. He’s been working hard all summer. He’s been doing everything he can to get back on the field. And, again, we’re going to communicate with our trainers and strength staff. When he’s ready to go, then he’ll be out there.”

Asked before practice whether Neal will work at both tackle and guard, Daboll said, “I’d say right now, right tackle. So today you’ll see we are going to put Eluemunor out at right tackle. … Actually, for the next however long it takes Evan to get back, and then we will revisit the situation.”

Could Eluemunor win the right tackle job when Neal returns?

“I’d say it’s day by day,” Daboll said. “He’s going to go in there. If he plays well and keeps playing well, we’ll see. We will revisit it when Evan gets healthy. I don’t want to make a decision the first day of training camp. He’s played well at right tackle when he was at Las Vegas. He’ll get in there and we thought that would be the good move to go ahead and push him over to right tackle. He took a ton of reps, obviously, in OTAs. The big thing with the offensive line is, we’ve shuffled guys in and out the last few years for the competition part. If we can get five guys as quickly as we can going, that’s what we’d like to do.”

Neal, a first-round draft choice in 2022, missed four games with a knee injury as a rookie and 10 last season because of a sprained/fractured ankle.

“Neal started (40) games at Alabama,” said Schoen. “He’s still a young kid. He’s 23. He’ll be 24 coming up. He had the sprained knee his first year here. Came back early from that. Fought through the foot injury last year. So, you know, I think he’s a tough kid, and he’s doing everything he can to come back. And I think it’s legitimately something that he needs to continue to work through, and hopefully it’ll be good here soon.”

Schoen was asked how he currently views Neal’s future with the team.

“He’s got to get healthy,” Schoen said. “Then we’ll determine and all those other things will take care of itself. Right now, we’re focused on him day by day. He’ll be off to the side. The training staff is going to ease him back in there. How he plays and his contribution to the team will take care of itself from there.”