With ankle injury behind him, Jon Halapio eager to compete for Giants center job
Giants offensive guard Jon Halapio watches from the sideline against the Browns at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 9, 2018. Credit: Daniel De Mato
Jon Halapio said there are three things that he is pumped up about.
“I’m just excited one, to walk again, two, to be healthy and where I’m at right now,” he said, “and three, to have the opportunity to go out there and compete with the rest of the guys.”
The Giants offensive lineman, who was at the United Way of New York City’s 26th annual Gridiron Gala on Tuesday night in Manhattan to support teammate Michael Thomas being named this year’s Hometown Hero, said he has no physical limitations after missing most of the 2018 season recovering from a nasty ankle injury that required surgery. He’s been participating in offseason workouts with the Giants this spring.
“It’s good getting back in the swing of things with everybody, being back on the field, working out with the guys,” he said. “It feels good to be back around football again.”
There were times early on when Halapio wasn’t so sure that would ever be the case.
“Some days were better than others,” he said.
He noted that he had some help to get through those down times.
“I knew that I was eventually going to be healthy again, especially because I always had Odell [Beckham Jr.] in my ear making sure I was good,” Halapio said. “He would always encourage me and stuff because he went through a similar injury.”
As for returning to the Giants, Halapio said he was fairly certain that would happen this offseason as he headed into restricted free agency.
“I’m cheaper than a lot of the guys, but I did feel like I would come back and have a chance to compete for a job,” he said. “It means a lot, especially for them to have that much faith to bring me back.”
Halapio will compete in training camp against Spencer Pulley, who took over as center in the second half of last season and was signed as a free agent by the Giants as well. Undrafted rookie James O’Hagan of Seaford also is in the mix.
Halapio won the job last year in training camp and was the Giants’ best lineman in the first game and a half when he played. That may not be the case this year as the group has been upgraded pretty significantly. Will Hernandez is no longer a rookie at left guard, which will help left tackle Nate Solder too. And the Giants added Kevin Zeitler at right guard in the blockbuster trades with the Browns. Halapio said Zeitler brings intensity and toughness to the group.
“There is a definite vibe and energy to this group,” he said.
And Halapio? He brings himself, something he could not provide much of last season.
“Once I started to get out there with the rest of the offensive line, I felt like I never left,” he said. “And a lot of credit to them, they welcomed me back with open arms.”
The ankle isn’t an issue now, and it shouldn’t be when training camp rolls around either.
“I mean, it’s been eight months,” he said of the time since his surgery. “I should feel good.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
