When the NY Giants lost heart-and-soul Nick Gates at the very start of the 2021 season, they were dealt a blow to a still-developing offensive line. Gates was a mainstay of an incomplete corps, and the team still wasn’t entirely confident on his future with the franchise. But when he was swung around and planted on the turf against Washington, his unit got objectively weaker and lost the requisite fire he provided, all in one fell swoop.
Worse yet, the damage to Gates’ leg was so extensive that rumors of the end of his career began to swirl, let alone the end of another lost campaign.
Gates’ hideous fracture came all the way back in Week 2 of 2021, and was associated with zero positives, as well as some of the most gruesome negatives you can imagine. In the wake of the injury, the fearsome guard used the words “crunch” and “snapped” to describe his leg’s condition, admitting he had no idea if and when he’d be able to get back on the field.
Smash cut to 2022’s regime change, though, and it seems as if Gates’ ridiculously long road back may finally be reaching a conclusion of some kind under Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll.
Daboll, speaking at the outset of camp, called Gates’ year away from the team “remarkable,” and reiterated that while there are no guarantees about his potential contributions, he might be ready “sooner” than the initial timeline.
Considering that timeline was “maybe never,” that doesn’t tell us much other than Gates is still fighting every day to complete a near-impossible task, and he’s making genuine progress.
Brian Daboll says Nick Gates work to rehab has been "remarkable." He and GM Joe Schoen said Gates could be able to play sooner than anyone thought possible, though there is no guarantee.
— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) July 27, 2022
NY Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates may return to NFL
Post-Dave Gettleman, the NY Giants are finally rededicated to building an offensive line that works, featuring malleable veteran presences and top-tier young talent. That was … supposed to be Gettleman’s ethos, too, but he somehow managed to bungle his own thesis statement every step of the way.
The loss of Gates felt gutting for both team morale and future projections in 2021, but at this point, there’s a strong mix of veterans and upside plays up front, giving him plenty of time to continue his “against-all-odds” comeback.
No matter how long it takes, it seems Gates is ahead of his personal curve, and Schoen and Daboll have taken notice of his remarkable progress.
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