The Giants will welcome the Detroit Lions to East Rutherford, N.J. for a pair of joint practices on Monday and Tuesday, followed by Thursday’s preseason opener at MetLife Stadium.
And while it will be nice for the Giants to practice against outside competition, it sounds like they will still be without right tackle Evan Neal, whose ankle injury and rehab has become one of the main storylines at Giants camp.
Neal, a former first-round pick, suffered an ankle injury last season that caused him to miss 10 games. Eventually diagnosed as a fracture after initially being deemed a sprain, the injury required surgery in January, with the hope that Neal would be ready for the start of training camp.
That hasn’t turned out to be the case though, as Neal began a make-or-break season on the PUP list (Physically Unable to Perform), and still doesn’t sound any closer to a return.
“He’s just rehabbing, and when he’s ready he’ll be ready to be put out there,” head coach Brian Daboll said on Sunday. “But he’s not ready.
“He’s working hard. He’s trying to do everything he can do to get better, but he’s just not ready to go yet. And when he is, he’ll be ready.”
During the spring, Neal was able to participate in some drills during OTAs, but then was not on the field during minicamp, sparking speculation that he may have suffered a setback.
The Alabama product remains out of practice on Sunday, which means another day at right tackle for free agent acquisition Jermaine Eluemunor, who very much could end up being the starter at right tackle come the beginning of the regular season, whether Neal is healthy or not.
“Everybody handles things different,” Daboll said. “It’s obviously not my profession in terms of him coming back, medical. I know he’s doing everything he can do, and when he’s ready—whether it’s a high draft pick or undrafted free agent, you care about all of your guys. When he’s ready, we’ll put him out there.”