New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas, entrenched in a lengthy rehab process from Lisfranc surgery in the middle of the 2024 season, remains uncertain whether or not he will be able to play in the Sept. 7 season-opening game against the Washington Commanders.
“I’m not sure yet,” Thomas said while seated in the Giants’ locker room on Thursday. “I haven’t really done a ton of reps. I’ve done some indy (individual drills), took some one-on-one reps. I’m just trying to progress slowly, so we’ll see. But like I said, I’m not making any projections right now.
“I’m just trying not to give myself a deadline. Obviously, I want to be back, but if I don’t feel comfortable to be able to perform at the level I think I can, I don’t think it makes sense for me to be out there.”
Thomas was taken off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list just two days before the preseason finale against the New England Patriots. He has yet to do any 11-on-11 work, and Wednesday was his first padded practice. Following that padded practice, he appeared to have a lighter workload on Thursday.
Thomas said he was “not bad” physically after Wednesday’s practice.
“Every time you go out there and do something new, there’s some soreness that comes with that,” Thomas said. “But I responded pretty well, and I’m feeling good today. And then I’ll get on the field tomorrow to do some more running. I know everybody else is off, but that’s just the plan that they have for me right now, to get some extra stuff on Friday and keep progressing.”
Thomas, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was a second-team All-Pro in 2022. His career has been marred by lower-body injuries, though.
During his first couple of seasons, he dealt with ankle injuries that were finally dealt with surgically. He missed seven games in 2023 with a hamstring injury. In 2024, the Lisfranc injury cost him 11 games.
Thomas admitted Thursday that the Lisfranc rehab has been “a tough recovery.”
Thomas said there will always be some pain in the surgically-repaired foot that he will need to manage, but he is trying to learn the difference between normal, OK soreness and something more alarming.
“I’ve talked to different doctors, different surgeons that have different opinions. I think part of it, coming back from an injury like this, there will be some soreness that you have to manage and get through,” Thomas said. “My biggest concern is making sure I can’t make it worse or re-injure it, so I’m just trying to take my time, stick with the plan that they’re giving me, and see where it goes.”
Thomas said he has used former Giant Shaun O’Hara, who dealt with a similar injury during his career, as a resource.
“It’s just a tough injury for heavier guys,” Thomas said. “You’ll have projections of when they think you’ll be back, but for bigger guys, a lot of times it just takes longer, and that’s what he [O’Hara] said. It took him nine or ten months to get through some of the pain and stuff, and throughout the season he dealt with some stuff too.”
The Giants need the best version of Thomas they can get, whenever they can get it. On Thursday, Thomas did not sound like a player who will be on the field Week 1.
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