No final decision, but Giants seem to prefer playing Ezeudu and keeping Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll knows that “you can’t replace an Andrew Thomas,” the star left tackle who is likely lost to the team for the remainder of the 2024 season due to surgery for a Lisfranc injury.
“I feel terrible for him,” Daboll said before practice on Wednesday. “I was able to text with him today. He had his surgery this morning. Everything was successful. But he’s a leader. He’s a captain. He’s great in the locker room. He’s a very good football player.”
The Giants, though, have to play someone in Thomas’s left tackle spot on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. So, who is that going to be?
While Daboll said no final decision will be made until after Friday’s practice, it certainly sounded like that someone is likely to be Josh Ezeudu.
The third-year offensive lineman, who struggled mightily while making five starts in place of Thomas a year ago, was expected to be at left tackle with the first team during Wednesday’s practice.
“We’ll put Ezeudu in here at the left and then we’ll rotate guys around throughout the week,” Daboll said. “Ultimately after Friday’s practice we’ll make our decision.”
The other option is moving veteran tackle Jermaine Eluemunor from right tackle to left tackle and inserting Evan Neal at right tackle.
“I think we’ll just do what we think is best,” Daboll said. “I think it’s always easy just to replace one person, but you want to make sure you’re doing what’s right for the team because the line’s been doing a nice job, the five of those guys that have played.
“I know they didn’t get a lot of snaps together leading up to the games but they’ve really done a nice job of settling in and communicating and that’ll be a big missing part with Andrew but the next person has to step up just like Azeez [Ojulari] had to do that for Kayvon, just like [Darius] Slayton had to do that for Malik [Nabers].
“That’s the expectation of being on the football team and being ready to go when your number’s called.”
Ezeudu surrendered five sacks and 12 total pressures in 181 pass-blocking snaps last season, ending the year with a 95.0 pass-blocking efficiency score, per Pro Football Focus. That ranked him 65th among 86 qualifying offensive tackles graded by PFF in 2023.
Ezeudu was asked to play left tackle last season despite practicing at guard throughout the spring and summer. This year, he has spent most of his time working as Thomas’s left tackle understudy.
“He’s improved, albeit in practice, in the one on ones, in the show team, on the reps that he gets for Andrew or for whoever else we put him in for,” Daboll said. “I think [OL coach] Carm [Bricillo] and James [Ferentz] have done a good job with his development.
“He’s not gonna be Andrew. He’s gonna be Ezeudu and just like Evan’s gonna be Evan, but there’s been improvement in a variety of areas with all those younger players and that’s what it needs to be regardless of what position it is.”
As for Neal, Daboll said there is “a potential” that the 2022 No. 7 overall pick could see some practice time at left tackle, but that “We’re gonna focus him on the right side right now and continue to help develop his game.”
It could be considered a damning assessment of Neal that the Giants are not automatically turning to him when there is a tackle opening. So, what has Daboll seen since Neal returned from offseason ankle surgery?
“He’s developing. His attitude has been excellent. I think his skill set has improved relative to the technique and fundamentals that James and that Carmen are coaching,” Daboll said. “He’s got the right kind of attitude. He’s been a good teammate through this entire process and again if his number is called then he’s gonna do everything he can do to be ready to play.”
