Giants Confirm Position Change for Joe Schoen's First Lineman

The New York Giants have seen this story before. First-round left tackle Ereck Flowers was supposed to be a key piece of Eli Manning’s final offensive lines. Instead, his best work came at another position, on another team.

In 2022, general manager Joe Schoen made the good-process decision to start his rebuild with two top-10 picks on high-profile linemen – edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal. By now, it’s clear that those picks haven’t worked out quite like the Giants had hoped. Thibodeaux is the third pass rusher on a team with two other first-round picks on the edge. Neal is fighting for his football life.

Flowers, his spiritual predecessor, found a second chance at guard for the Washington Commanders and Ereck Flowers. New York will hope Neal’s resurgence comes before the end of his rookie contract.

After months of speculation, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post confirmed that the Giants’ first-round lineman is moving to guard in an attempt to save his career.

It’s a last-ditch effort to salvage the tools that made Neal an early pick. A college left tackle, Neal has his work cut out for him, but iconic New York lineman Shaun O’Hara is optimistic about the transition.

“I think it’s probably the right move,” O’Hara told The Post. “I think last year was a year for him to either prove you can play tackle or you’re gonna have to try to play something else. Knowing the type of kid he is, I think he’s gonna attack it head-on and he’s always had a positive attitude. Now he’s just got to put it all together. He’s got all the tools.”

Neal will benefit from being healthy for the first time in a while. If not for his ugly ankle situation a season ago, this transition may have already been made. Further, he won’t have to start right away. Jon Runyan Jr. and Greg Van Roten adequately held down the left and right guard spots, respectively in 2024.

The Giants also have Aaron Stinnie, Joshua Ezeudu, Jake Kubas, and rookie Marcus Mbow to compete for guard spots, although the rookie will begin his work at tackle.

Simply put, there isn’t room for Neal on this roster at tackle, and cutting him doesn’t make financial sense. Given his brief successes against the run and the ability to hide Neal from defending high-level edge rushers, playing guard could be Neal’s path back to relevance. For both Neal and New York, it’s for the best that he can make this change without the pressure of starting in Week 1.