1. OL Evan Neal
Last year was supposed to be the season former Giants first-round pick Evan Neal would turn things around; however, that was not the case. In fact, he may have gotten even worse and has not become well-liked by the Big Blue faithful for his performance on the field and comments after the Giants' loss to the Seahawks last season. With Neal's stock trending down, we'll see how much we see of him on the field this season.
Neal made the Giants' 53-man roster, but because of injury concerns this preseason and his performance, he will not start at right tackle like in years past. Neal is recovering from ankle surgery and will not make an impact in Week 1. Daboll and Schoen worked very hard in free agency this offseason to find offensive linemen who would help the Giants' offense, which they lacked last year.
The Giants brought in Jermaine Eluemunor, who will start at right tackle in place of Neal and should provide Big Blue with an added boost on the right side next to guard Greg Van Roten. Eluemunor and Van Roten played together last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, where they were coached by Carmen Bricillo, who is now also with the Giants as their new offensive line coach.
The Giants left side looks strong with All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas and veteran guard Jon Runyan Jr, which leaves little room for opportunity for the former first-round pick. Suppose the offensive line takes hits like last year and suffers many injuries. In that case, they will look for Neal to stay ready for anything as a depth piece.
Still, in the meantime, he is not a starter on their offensive line. He also may not get opportunities before over other backups, with the Giants keeping Aaron Stinnie, Jake Kubas, Joshua Ezeudu, and Austin Schlottman, who is currently on the injured reserve list. With more depth on the offensive line, there's a chance we won't see Neal at all this year, and he will not last the season.