Giants OT Evan Neal Rates First Live Action Since Season-ending Ankle Injury

New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal received 21 snaps in his first live game action since November 2023 and felt that he played "decent."

September 21, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) blocks San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

For New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal, his return to live action Saturday night was like riding a bike.

Neal, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury on November 5, 2023, spent all of spring rehabbing, which continued into training camp when he landed on the PUP list. He got the start at right tackle for the Giants in the preseason finale against the New York Jets, a game in which Neal was put on a pitch count in his first life action in months.

His showing was mixed. His run-blocking was solid, and he engaged in some steady combo-blocking, making smart decisions and finishing his man.  

But his pass blocking, his Achilles heel, continued to be a problem. For one, Neal looked like he was moving a step or two too slow against his competition, and his footwork was inconsistent. He also took a couple of poor angles that opened up too much space around his edge and was beaten off the edge for a sack by Takk McKinley. 

It goes without saying that NEal has yet to resemble the seventh overall pick in the draft as between injuries and inconsistencies in his play, it’s beginning to look as though he might never reach the potential the Giants brass seems to think he has. 

Through just 20 games over the past two seasons, Neal has been credited with allowing 81 pressures and 10 sacks.

The hope is that spending some time as a backup where new offensive line coach Crmen Bricillo can work with him to fix some of his game deficiencies can help Nea eventually develop into a starting tackle who can also move inside to guard if need be, as he did at Alabama. 

Neal praised Bricillo, whose 2023 Raiders offensive line was one of the best units in the NFL with the lowest pressure allowed percentage (15%) and whose run blocking ranked 14th per PFF, for his abilities as a teacher.

“That’s the first thing I noticed - his ability to explain the offense and what he wants us to do while also allowing us to have individuality as our own players,” Neal said of Bricillo.

While Bricillo has been able to work with Neal in the classroom, getting out there on the field is a different animal. After the Jets game, Neal aid he thought he played “decent,” but also acknowledged he still has a long way to go.

“I mean, 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,” he said. “Pass protection. I was okay. I gave up the one sack, and 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 like getting back into the game.”

With the preseason games over, Neal is unlikely to get any more live game reps and will just need to continue knocking off the rust in practice. Although training camp is technically over, the Giants will treat the coming week similarly to training camp before turning their attention the week after toward preparing for their Week 1 opener against the Minnesota Vikings. 

Neal’s MRI on his ankle came back clean as far as having done any major damage, but it remains to be seen if he will be limited int he week ahead.

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