Losing Andrew Thomas derailed Giants offense in 2023. Can they avoid same fate this year?

The New York Giants’ 17-7 loss to the Bengals last Sunday night was deflating. The season-ending foot injury suffered by All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas let more air out of the balloon.

Those circumstances have minimized the buzz about Saquon Barkley’s return to the MetLife Stadium on Sunday as a member of the Eagles. But this is still a big matchup, as the Giants have yet another opportunity for a statement win.

Better this time around?

Giants coach Brian Daboll repeatedly stated the obvious Wednesday when he said, “We’re not going to replace an Andrew Thomas.”

Daboll has the scars from last season to illustrate that point. The hamstring injury Thomas suffered in last season’s opener that sidelined him for seven games was often referred to within the organization as the biggest factor in the offense going off the rails.

The Giants know they don’t have an All-Pro left tackle waiting in the wings. But they are again putting their faith in Josh Ezeudu to serve as the next man up.

Ezeudu was unfairly thrust into that spot last season after working exclusively at guard all offseason. Playing Ezeudu at left tackle was a disaster, with the low point coming when he allowed a blind-side sack that resulted in Daniel Jones suffering a neck injury. Ezeudu suffered a season-ending toe injury in Week 6, which forced Justin Pugh to step in “straight off the couch” for two games before Thomas returned.

Ezeudu should be better prepared for this opportunity, as he has been the backup left tackle all offseason. But that preparation doesn’t guarantee the 2022 third-round pick will be any better at protecting Jones’ blind side for the next 11 games.

The other option would be shifting right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to the left side. That wouldn’t be foreign for Eluemunor, who switched sides three times over the previous two seasons with the Raiders when left tackle Kolton Miller was sidelined.

But Eluemunor already has made one position change with the Giants. He spent all spring at left guard before moving to right tackle at the start of training camp when Evan Neal still hadn’t recovered from ankle surgery. That was a blessing in disguise, as Eluemunor has provided much greater stability at right tackle.

Eluemunor said switching to left tackle in-season is a major challenge physically and mentally. He made it clear his preference is to remain at right tackle, which would maintain continuity at the other four spots on the line.

With Eluemunor sticking at right tackle, there’s no path to playing time for Neal. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft has worked exclusively at right tackle since returning in mid-August, seven months after undergoing ankle surgery.

That has remained Neal’s focus this week, even after Thomas’ injury. It seems clear he is strictly viewed as the backup right tackle. If Eluemunor gets hurt, Neal can step in at right tackle. And if Ezeudu gets hurt, Eluemunor would likely shift to the left side, and Neal would take over at right tackle.

There have been calls to put Neal at left tackle, which is the position he played during his final season at Alabama. But Neal has only been a right tackle during his two-plus seasons in the NFL. And after missing so much time, the team clearly believes keeping him at the same position gives him the best chance to succeed.

Daboll said there’s “potential” Neal could get practice reps at left tackle. It’s important to note how limited practice reps are during the season when teams are only allowed to wear full pads once per week. The time for development is the offseason, and Neal missed all of those practices while rehabbing.

So it’ll be Ezeudu getting another shot to replace Thomas, with all involved holding their breath and hoping it goes better than last season.

Help wanted

The Giants have an open roster spot after putting Thomas on injured reserve on Wednesday. They need to be proactive about adding a tackle in case Thomas is the start of another wave of O-line injuries like last year.

The Giants were slow to react last season, signing Pugh in Week 5 after four linemen had suffered injuries. He was supposed to ramp up gradually on the practice squad, but he wound up starting at left guard in his second week and then shifted to left tackle after Ezeudu got hurt in that game.

The Giants also dragged their feet in bringing back Tyre Phillips from the Eagles’ practice squad. By the time they poached Phillips in Week 7, Ezeudu was out for the season, and three other linemen were sidelined by injuries. Phillips took over as the starting right tackle that week and made nine starts before tearing his quad tendon in Week 17.

In an ideal world, the Giants would again bring back Phillips. But he’s not an option right now because he’s still not fully recovered from the quad injury. So where can they turn?

Cam Fleming has made 62 career starts, including 16 at right tackle for the Giants in 2020. Fleming, who recently signed to the Broncos’ practice squad, would be a logical target for the Giants to sign to add experienced depth at tackle.

Kansas City’s Lucas Niang, who started nine games for the Chiefs in 2021, is another practice squad option with experience. There are also veteran free agents — David Bakhtiari, Donovan Smith, Charles Leno — but health and the desire to join the Giants as a backup are unknowns with those players.

The bottom line is the Giants shouldn’t wait until they’re facing an emergency to make an addition. The time to act is now so they can avoid scrambling like they did last season.

A tougher test

New offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo has earned deserved plaudits. Bricillo’s group has provided stability at a position that has been an Achilles heel for more than a decade.

But Bricillo has benefited from leading a veteran group that played every snap in the first six games. With Thomas out, Bricillo will be put to the test. Aside from center John Michael Schmitz, who has made strides in his second season, Bricillo hasn’t had to mold any young players during his tenure.

His work with Ezeudu (and potentially Neal) will be put under the microscope. If Bricillo gets Ezeudu playing at a serviceable level, then he will really have proven his acumen as a coach.

Thinking ahead

No one can question Thomas’ toughness. He finished last season’s opener after pulling his hamstring in the first quarter, and he finished Sunday’s game after suffering a Lisfranc injury in the third quarter.

Thomas’ durability is another matter. He missed seven games last season and will miss the final 11 games of this season. He missed four games during the 2021 season with foot and ankle injuries, and he underwent surgery on his left ankle after the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Thomas signed a five-year, $117.5 million extension before last season. Thomas had two years remaining on his rookie contract, so he could have delayed an extension to potentially earn significantly more as the market rose. But Thomas opted for the security of a long-term deal when it was presented.

“I would say security was the biggest thing, guarantees, things like that,” Thomas said after signing the extension. “Especially with my history of ankle injuries and things of that nature. Playing offensive line, there’s people falling on you every game, you want to be secure. You don’t hope for injuries, but we know that’s a thing that happens in this league.”

Thomas surely wishes he wasn’t so prescient. Meanwhile, the injuries have just been bad luck for the Giants. His two injuries since the extension aren’t related to the previous ankle issues, so there was no way to predict he’d miss so much time.

What’s the good news?

It’s not all bad news for the Giants on the injury front. Wide receiver Malik Nabers cleared the concussion protocol after being a full participant in Thursday’s practice. Nabers is on track to return on Sunday after missing two games with the concussion. Nabers was listed as having a groin injury on Thursday, which is a new ailment, but he fully participated in practice.

It would be more disconcerting that defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and outside linebacker Brian Burns missed the first two practices this week if both hadn’t offered assurances that they will play Sunday. Lawrence, who is listed with a hip injury, said his practice inactivity was just due to rest.

Burns has been dealing with a groin injury since Week 3, and he hobbled out of the locker room after last Sunday’s game. It’s likely something he’ll battle for the rest of the season, but he doesn’t expect it to keep him out of action.

Bottling up Barkley

The drama of Barkley’s departure from New York has been well-documented. The football aspect of his return is intriguing as well.

The Giants rank 16th in rushing yards allowed per game, which suggests a league-average run defense. But they’re allowing 5.2 yards per carry, which is the second most in the league.

The key to the Giants’ questionable run defense not getting exploited is that opponents have averaged the fourth fewest carries per game. That’s confounding since the Giants use light boxes (six or fewer defenders in the box) at the second-highest rate in the league. That should invite opponents to run the ball.

And it’s not as if game flow has dictated opponents to abandon the run. The Giants haven’t blown any opponents out and have trailed at some point in all six of their games. But somehow, opposing play-callers have been allergic to calling runs. Four of the Giants’ six opponents — Cleveland, Dallas, Cincinnati and Seattle — rank in the bottom seven in rush attempts per game.

That will change Sunday. The Eagles are sixth in the league in rushing attempts per game, and Barkley is fourth in carries per game. And the Eagles are surely going to give Barkley an opportunity to prove his former team was wrong to let him leave in free agency.

Barkley was exceptionally effective in his first four games in Philadelphia, averaging 18.3 carries for 108.8 yards. But he was bottled up for 47 yards on 18 carries in the Eagles’ 20-16 win over the Browns last Sunday. That’s largely because the Browns stacked the box on 62.9 percent of the Eagles’ plays.

The Giants have stacked the box on just 21.1 percent of opponents’ plays this season. That’s how defensive coordinator Shane Bowen prefers to play, so it will be crucial for the defensive line and linebackers to be stout against the run. Slot cornerback Dru Phillips, who has displayed impressive physicality, will also be a key piece of the run defense.

Matchup problem

The Giants need to tighten up their run defense against quarterback scrambles. They’ve been victimized the past two weeks by unexpected scrambles from Seattle’s Geno Smith (four carries for 72 yards) and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (four carries for 55 yards). They’ll be much more alert against Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, who has 11 scrambles for 111 yards this season.

Everyone went left. Joe Burrow went straight for six 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C3XPLorOgF

— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2024

The Eagles have the ingredients to be a matchup problem for the Giants because they have deadly deep passing threats to complement their strong run game. The Giants’ cornerbacks have been playing well lately thanks to consistent help over the top from safeties. If the Giants need to bring a safety into the box to stop Barkley, Hurts will throw bombs to AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.

Even with their weapons, the Eagles haven’t been a potent offense. They’re averaging 21.2 points per game, which ranks 18th in the league. The Eagles haven’t scored in the first quarter of their past seven games.

Philadelphia’s offensive line remains a strength, but the unit is not as formidable without retired center Jason Kelce, who had Lawrence’s number. The Eagles also suffered a major blow last week with left tackle Jordan Mailata suffering a hamstring injury that will sideline him for multiple weeks. Burns should feast on backup left tackle Fred Johnson.

Prediction

Giants 24, Eagles 20. I may have gotten ahead of myself last Sunday afternoon when I tweeted that the Giants would beat the Eagles while watching Philadelphia stumble through its win against a woeful Cleveland Browns team. The Thomas injury removes some of my conviction, but the Eagles also lost their star left tackle. The Eagles are 4-7 since Week 13 of last season. They’re a flawed team, so I’ll stand by my belief that the Giants can pull off the upset.