The Evan Neal era has not gone according to plan for the NY Giants - that's something you already knew. When the Giants drafted Neal, the expectations for the offensive line to improve were high. The combination of Neal and Andrew Thomas was supposed to put the offensive line back on track, but only Thomas has held his end of the bargain.
With Neal having another down year, which has included a nightmare ankle injury, his status as the right tackle of the future is totally up in the air. Could that lead to Joe Schoen pulling a surprise move and trading him this offseason? Some out there think that might happen.
Giants second year OT Evan Neal has been listed as a possible trade candidate in the off-season, according to @The33rdTeamFB.
— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) December 14, 2023
Trading Neal after the season would carry a $14.5M dead cap hit for the Giants.
Neal has also said he only sees himself as an offensive tackle and… pic.twitter.com/q29eWJKGUc
Should the Giants try to fix Evan Neal or just cut their losses now ?
Neal has made more headlines off the field than on it. Earlier in the year when fans booed him, Neal made countless headlines after saying he's not worried about what people who flip burgers and make hot dogs for a living think about his play. Yeah, that was a brutal look.
Neal has battled multiple injuries this season and when he was on the field he was dreadful. Neal simply can't be trusted on the outside, which is why a lot of Big Blue supporters are begging Brian Daboll to move him to guard. Will that happen? Probably not, but a trade feels like it could be a more likely option.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Giants RT Evan Neal says that the fans who criticize him probably “flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere” via @DarrylSlater
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 4, 2023
Evan Neal also says some of the Giants fans are “fair weather” and “bandwagons” for booing the team when things aren’t going well. He… pic.twitter.com/vTzUHFgadw
On the flip side, maybe the Giants give Neal one final chance to prove that he can be the right man for the job at right tackle. The best case scenario for the team would of course be if Neal can prove to be a starting caliber player again.
It remains to be seen what happens with Neal, especially after Schoen has backed him. However, if a mid-round pick is put on the table for him ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, then maybe Schoen will need to cut his losses and move on from No. 73.