Evan Neal's Giants Career Was Supposed to Be Over. Instead, He's Fighting His Way Back

When it comes to offensive lineman Evan Neal, the New York Giants have just been full of surprises.

The first came when the consensus held that Neal’s career with Big Blue would end after last season, following the team’s decision to decline his rookie contract’s fifth-year option.

But to everyone’s surprise, head coach John Harbaugh saw something in Neal, so the Giants offered him a no-risk, no-guarantees contract to remain with the team.

Even a bigger surprise was that Neal, who was in dire need of a fresh start, accepted the deal and committed to making things work with the team that drafted him seventh overall in 2022.

Neal and the Giants are apparently not done with surprises. While all spring and early in camp, it looked as though the former Alabama offensive lineman would merely be a camp body on the third-string offensive line, that might not be the case after all, according to offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren.

“Yeah, I've seen great growth from Evan in his ability to take coaching and his ability to try to understand not just how things look on paper, but, like, what certain alignments mean to him,” he said on Friday.

Bloomgren is tasked with helping Neal continue his adjustment to the guard position. This process was supposed to happen two summers ago but never got off the ground due to setbacks from ankle surgery the prior offseason.

Then came last year when it was thought that Neal would push incumbent Greg Van Roten for the starting right guard job.

That competition barely lasted more than a week, again in part due to injuries that cost Neal valuable preseason snaps in one game. As a result, the competition was over before it had a chance to take root.

September 21, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) blocks San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

And now? The new coaching staff has given every single player returning from last year’s squad a fresh start.

That includes Neal, who, in the spring and early part of summer, got most of his reps with the third-team offensive line at right guard. In recent days, however, he has been moving up the depth chart to where he is very much right back in the mix for a potential depth role.

“I think he's seeing more in his stance, and he's playing with more confidence,” Bloomgren said. “I haven't been here for those years of questioning, but listening to other people in the building, they feel like he's taking some good steps.”

Neal has the size and athletic skill set to be a viable asset on the offensive line. But again, injuries and, reportedly, some differences of opinion have served to sabotage what should have been a promising career.

To his credit, however, Neal has come to grips with the reality that his chances are running out. He’s rededicated himself to his craft and has brought his best effort to practice every day, hoping the coaching staff takes note.

Whether it all leads to a roster spot remains to be seen, as Neal will likely see plenty of preseason action starting Saturday when the Giants host the Minnesota Vikings.

But so far, he’s off to a very good start, according to Bloomgren.

“I'm proud of those steps he's taken, and we'll see what he's able to do in these games,” he said.

Sign up for our free newsletterand follow us on Facebookand Xfor the latest news, and send your mailbag questionsto us.

Add us as a preferred source on Google