Giants tackle Evan Neal to have ankle surgery after disappointing season
Evan Neal of the Giants walks off the field after a game against the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 2. Credit: Jim McIsaac
When Evan Neal was the on the field for the Giants this season, he mostly underperformed. He is currently ranked 83rd of 84 tackles evaluated by Pro Football Focus. He appeared in seven games, having been limited by his injured ankle.
That is not what general manager Joe Scheon and coach Brian Daboll anticipated when they drafted Neal with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft.
Daboll indicated Wednesday that Neal is slated to have ankle surgery soon.
“He’s going to have to have the procedure and then go through rehab and all those other things,” Daboll said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s approached everything the right way.”
His play clearly needs to improve. The Giants will hope that the surgery allows Neal to play better and pain-free. Neal was drafted to be part of the solution on the offensive line. That has not yet been the case.
Asked about not putting Neal on season-ending injured reserve earlier, Daboll repeated himself, saying Neal has done everything asked of him.
Blue notes
Darius Slayton is on the verge of leading the Giants in receiving yards for the fourth time in his five-year career “I think it just says I found a way. Somehow, someway, I found a way,” Slayton said. The Giants’ wide receiver usage has been puzzling. It’s a credit to Slayton that he has endured. … The Giants' next opponent is the Rams, which means defensive lineman Aaron Donald is coming to town. “One of the best to ever do it,” Daboll said of Donald. “He’s always a problem when you play him. As much as you try to gameplan for him, he always finds ways to make plays. He’s one of the best defensive players, he’s unbelievable.” Of course, the Giants do have a player who is in that same mold in Dexter Lawrence. “Those are two really good ones,” Daboll said. “Their one-on-ones, they’re hard to block. [Donald] is obviously smaller than a guy like Dex, but he is as explosive as a player that there’s been. He’s a fantastic player and he’s been that way for a long time.” Daboll added: “I’m glad Dexter is on our team, he’s a heck of a player. Hard to block, great teammate, puts the team first, powerful, athletic. Certainly glad we have him.” … Daboll said punter Jamie Gillan is trending in the right direction for Sunday. He has been battling knee and groin issues.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
