NY Giants Andrew Thomas Won’t Guarantee Being Ready for Week 1

So far, New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas has met all the benchmarks set for him by the team’s medical staff as they pertain to his recovery from Lisfranc surgery last winter. 

Thomas was activated off the PUP list following his passing of a physical and will spend the next few days leading up to the Giants’ 2025 season opener working on building up his football stamina.

And while the Giants would desperately love to have him in the lineup for Week 1’s season opener against the Washington Commanders, Thomas isn’t quite ready to commit to that date just yet.

“I'm just going one day at a time. I can't really predict that right now,” he said on Tuesday after his first practice since last year. 

“You should see the progress that I've made in the last few weeks. We don't know where it will end up, but I'm just trying to do what I can to be back.”

He’s been gradually increasing his workload to the point where he can handle his full rep schedule in practice. Thomas participated in an individual drill during Tuesday’s session before going off to do some running under the watchful eye of a trainer. Depending on how he feels moving forward, he’ll either increase his workload or he’ll dial it back.  

Thomas's struggles

“It's a tough injury to come back from, especially for bigger guys, and obviously, in your mind, you want to be out there as soon as possible, but it always doesn't work like that,” Thomas said of his 310+ day journey to get his body right. 

“I'm just trying to be grateful for what I do have and the progress that I've made and continue to keep a positive mindset.”

Once he’s back all the way, Thomas would love nothing better than to be out there for his first full injury-free season since 2022.

“Just like you’re a student of the game, I'm always trying to figure out how to take a better set or be a better run blocker; it's the same thing off the field,” he said. 

“So, it's doing different things, trying to do new things. It's hard to tell because the season is so long. There are so many factors that go into being healthy, but obviously, I'm trying to do my due diligence to be out there for all of them.” 

Although there is concern about whether Thomas will be fully up to speed by September 7, the good news is that it’s not the 26-year-old’s first rodeo, and that hopefully his experience will help him shorten his prep time.

“I think for an offensive lineman, muscle memory is a real thing, but you're always trying to get better, and there's nothing like a full speed rep in practice or joint practice, preseason, whatever it is,” he said. 

“That's something that's hard to mimic, but like you said, if I focus on that and not necessarily my foot being healthy, getting reps when I'm not myself, it won't help the team, so just trying to do my best to get back to 100%.”

The good news is that his first day back on the field went off without a hitch.  

“This is the most I've done in a long time today,” he said. “I thought it went well today, so we'll continue to build. We haven't discussed weeks in advance yet, but I'm just doing my best to be ready when I'm ready.”

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.