Evan Neal Is Fighting for His Spot on the Giants — and Running Out of Time to Make His Case

The New York Giants offensive line will be looking for a new starting right guard in 2026, and while first-round draft pick Francis Mauigoa is the strong favorite to win the role, another Giants first-round draft pick is hoping to salvage his career with the team by at least showing enough fight this summer to lay claim to a roster spot.

That first-round pick is Evan Neal, who will be competing with Mauigoa and a stable of veterans, both returning or incoming, including Daniel Faalele from the Baltimore Ravens, Jake Kubas, and Bryan Hudson.

Faalele is not only already familiar with John Harbaugh from his Baltimore days, but he’s also a massive human being at 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds, fitting the ideal mold of a Harbaugh offensive lineman.

Still, that puts Faalele and Neal in somewhat direct competition to be the veteran in the room. Neal’s experience at right guard has been limited–he played just 44 snaps there last summer before landing on the bench for the entire 2025 campaign.

While he did some work at both right and left guard (mostly right guard), this summer is Neal’s final chance to contribute to the team.

Evan Neal, OL

Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 340
EXP: 5 Years
School: Alabama
How Acquired: D1b-’22

2025 in Review

After a tumultuous first three years of his NFL career at tackle, Neal finally made the move from offensive tackle to guard.

Neal was still dealing with an injury throughout the summer and even missed the first preseason game, but he would see significant playing time in the final two preseason games.

He allowed five pressures over his 44 pass-blocking snaps, the second-most pressures allowed on the Giants through the preseason despite playing significantly fewer snaps.

While a poor first preseason at a new position isn’t necessarily an indicator that a player can’t succeed there, Neal showed he still had a lot of work to do to successfully complete the move inside.

Contract/Cap Info

Neal just finished his rookie contract, a four-year, $24,551,256 fully guaranteed deal, and the Giants declined his fifth-year option, which would have been this year.

Instead, the Giants signed Neal to a one-year deal worth just $1.215 million with no guaranteed money this spring to bring him back to the team.

That means that if the Giants chose to cut ties with Neal at some point this year, they would eat no dead cap penalty.

If the Giants are forced to make a decision between Neal and some of the other players toward the bottom of the offensive line room, then Neal could be at added risk because of his contract.

Since Neal has no guaranteed money, the Giants would save more money parting ways with him than with Kubas, Joshua Ezeudu, or Faalele.

2026 Preview

With Neal moving back inside for the first time since he was a freshman at Alabama in 2019 and playing right guard in games for the first time, the grace period is gone for 2026.

It should surprise nobody that Neal, while he’s going to be competing for playing time and even a starting role on the offensive line, is simultaneously going to be competing for a roster spot.

That should be indicative of the instability at right guard, as players who may not even make the roster are still competing for significant roles.

Neal is a very long shot to win the starting right guard job, as Mauigoa already has a handle on that.

When the conversation shifts to making final roster cuts, however, the decision-making process will be more intricate.

Neal has been a complete disappointment to this point in his career, but if he shows some more promise this summer, he could make a case to stick around.

Faalele has been mediocre in his career, but he has familiarity with the coaching staff and is clearly a Harbaugh guy.

The argument is more about what Neal can become than about either option.

At the moment, Neal’s lack of experience is holding him back and has put him behind the eight ball. Faalele has been much more consistent and available, but has also been lackluster.

The argument could end up being the Giants deciding between a below-average but consistent right guard and a disappointing option with a higher ceiling, but who has also struggled to remain available.

It’s unclear how much the new coaching staff for the Giants is truly “out” on Neal potentially playing tackle in a depth capacity, but that could be a way for the team to justify keeping him as someone who can be an emergency option at multiple spots.

And if Neal can’t show the consistency needed, then the Giants will move on with no financial penalty to be had.

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