OL Evan Neal a Healthy Scratch; Jaxson Dart Officially No. 2 for NY Giants in Week 1

The New York Giants' first inactive report of the season is out, and two players whom the team once hoped would be staples of the offensive line for the next decade are on the list.

Left tackle Andrew Thomas and offensive lineman Evan Neal, both first-round draft picks (Thomas in 2020, Neal in 2022), are among the inactive players. Thomas’s inactivity is not unexpected, as he’s been continuing to work his way back off the PUP list, where he spent the majority of the summer continuing his rehab of his foot. 

Thomas, who had a second procedure in April to remove a screw, was activated off the PUP list toward the end of training camp. To date, he’s only participated in one fully padded practice as he continues to work his way back into playing shape. 

While there is hope that Thomas will be ready for next week’s game against Dallas, a more realistic target is Week 3’s home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Neal, whom the Giants initially envisioned as their starting right tackle, is a healthy scratch this week, losing a roster spot to Aaron Stinnie, who becomes the first off the bench at guard, and rookie Marcus Mbow, the first off the bench at tackle.

Neal spent the entire offseason trying to convert from tackle to guard, but as has been the case seemingly every year with him, he missed some practice time with an injury, and he also failed to show any consistency in making the conversion. 

The Giants seem ready to move on from Neal, whose fifth-year option was not picked up. They will continue to work with him while he is on the roster, the hope being that he eventually shows enough improvement at the position to be a contributor, but for now, it’s yet another disappointing setback in the career of the 2022 seventh overall draft pick.

Jaxson Dart Gets the No. 2 Nod