Evan Neal Looking to Make Most of Time Left with Giants

Neal is unlikely to see the playing field again despite having his 21-day window opened this week.

Aug 4, 2025; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) on the field during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal has seen the handwriting on the wall dating back to the start of the regular season.

Neal, after failing to convince the coaching staff that he had advanced enough in his conversion from tackle to guard, he not only didn’t grab a spot in the starting lineup, but he also couldn’t get on the field in any capacity.

The No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, who has been on injured reserve with a hamstring injury,  is bound for destinations unknown after this season.

That's because the Giants, in not picking up his rookie year option, appear to be done with him, but not before they opened his 21-day practice window with about that many days left of a disappointing 2025 season, a move that allows Neal to get some football reps in during practice.

“When you can’t control what you can’t control, you don’t try to focus on that,” Neal told reporters on Wednesday after practice. 

“I just kind of tried to go inward, you know, just focus on Evan, just focus on the things I can do to continue to keep myself mentally strong, physically strong, and just be ready for whatever's next.”

For the time being, what’s next is that Neal will give the Giants another live body during practice. But beyond that, interim head coach Mike Kafka admitted there are no plans to disrupt the current offensive line configuration, which could mean that Neal’s 21-day window was purposely set to expire during the remaining days of this season. 

“We’ve got five guys that are playing their butt off right now for us, and we're not looking to make any changes,” Kafka said.

Neal was supposed to be the bookend tackle on the right side to left tackle Andrew Thomas. He started 13 games as a rookie, allowing 52 pressures according to Pro Football Focus, tying him for the third most among tackles that season.

The following year, Neal, who dealt with ankle injuries, finished with 29 pressures allowed in 309 pass-blocking snaps.

He would end up losing his starting job in 2024 when he experienced a setback in his recovery from season-ending ankle surgery, and newcomer Jermaine Eluemunor proved to be a rock at that position.

The team tried converting Neal to guard this past summer, perhaps secretly hoping that he would supplant Greg Van Roten at right guard. But that experiment failed to yield the desired results, and Neal was banished to the inactive list.

“I practiced hard, and I just did everything that I could do within the best of my abilities to go out there and play,” he said.  

Neal, who obviously would have liked for his career to have taken a different path, seemed to be at peace with the team’s decisions and his upcoming future.

“I still see value in myself as a player, and whatever the future holds, hey, I'm excited for,” Neal said.

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