Giants center Jon Halapio will miss the remainder of the 2018 season after fracturing his lower leg and ankle Sunday, the club announced today.
New York addressed its offensive line this offseason by adding free agent Nate Solder at left tackle and draft pick Will Hernandez at left guard, but the unit hasn’t looked improved through two games (both losses). Losing Halapio will be a further blow to the front five’s continuity as the club looks to rebound from its early-season struggles.
Having traded Brett Jones (who started 13 games at center in 2017) earlier this year, the Giants will have to look elsewhere to replace Halapio. While undrafted rookie Evan Brown is listed as Halapio’s direct backup, veteran Spencer Pulley might be a more realistic candidate to take over at the pivot. Pulley, whom New York acquired off waivers earlier this month, started all 16 games at center for the Chargers last season. John Greco took over for Halapio on Sunday, so he’s another option to fill in at center.
For Halapio, his injury represents a devastating turn for a journeyman who had finally secured a starting job. Halapio, 27, bounced around the league after being drafted in 2014, but had overtaken Jones this summer to become the Giants’ starting center. He’ll be an exclusive rights free agent in 2019, so New York will be able to easily retain him.
I’ll bet Eli Manning really missed Richburg.
* misses
Eli about to pull a Vontae Davis
Makes no sense why they traded Jones to begin with.
The O line has been a mess for several years. Sad they cannot fix it the last couple of years to at least make themselves competitive. Wasting the talent they have at the skill positions.
I agree, that Jones trade made no sense at all!
Question now becomes how do they fix it going forward so they can at least be competitive in games this year. Sunday was embarrassing.