There’s ruthless. And then there’s what the New York Giants just saw the New England Patriots do to former first-round pick Cole Strange. Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, NE is cutting Strange. His release is a brutal reminder for the New York Giants (and the rest of the league) of how cold this business gets when the production doesn’t back the investment.
The #Patriots waived former first-round pick OL Cole Strange.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 26, 2025
Meanwhile, in East Rutherford, the G-Men are still trying to force-feed the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Evan Neal experiment down everyone’s throat. They were part of the same draft class, taken in the same round, just 22 picks apart. One team has already made the tough decision to move on. The other is still sitting on their hands.
Strange started 29 games in New England. Neal has started 27 in New York. Neither has worked out. But only one front office had the gall to do something about it.
If the Patriots can move on from Cole Strange, the Giants can move on from Evan Neal
No one’s pretending Neal hasn’t had it rough. He’s had every kind of injury short of a falling piano. And the Giants’ offensive line pipeline hasn’t exactly been much of a support system. But at some point, it’s not about patience or potential. It’s about performance. And Neal’s shown almost none of it.
Three years in, and he’s already bounced from right tackle to guard. His fifth-year option is declined. His PFF grades are buried in the bottom quartile. And the preseason finale was a microcosm of everything: four pressures allowed, no push in the run game, and zero confidence from the staff. He’s barely treading water.
The Pats looked at Strange and said, “No thanks.” Big Blue keeps looking at Neal and saying, “Hmm... maybe.” One of those is objectively braver than the other. We all know Schoen won’t pull the plug, at least not yet, anyway, but if he ever needed a permission slip, the Patriots just handed him one on a silver platter.
It’s not about scapegoating Neal. It’s about setting a tone. If the standard’s the standard, if this team actually means it when it says it’s building a winning culture, then they just can’t keep trotting out someone who’s proven, repeatedly, that he’s not ready for the moment. Not at guard. And not at tackle.
Neal might have all the physical tools in the world, but the league doesn’t wait around for projects to come together. The Patriots didn’t. The Giants shouldn’t either. If New England showed Joe Schoen anything, it's that it's never too late to put ego aside and cut bait for the betterment of the team.