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Evan Neal

NFC Injury Updates: Giants, Rams, Packers, Falcons, Seahawks

November 22nd, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Connor Byrne

Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo will sit out Sunday’s matchup with the Lions because of a sprained MCL. It’ll be the fourth straight absence for Adebo, though the Giants haven’t placed him on IR. He was on track to play in the Giants’ loss to the Packers last week before suffering a setback in warmups, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. It’s unclear whether Adebo will be ready to return against the Patriots in Week 13. If not, he’ll have an extra week to recover with the Giants on a bye after that. Adebo missed 10 games with a broken leg in 2024, his final season with the Saints, but still scored a three-year, $54MM contract in free agency. In his first seven games with the Giants (all starts), Adebo has recorded 48 tackles and four passes defensed.

More injury updates from around the NFC…

  • The Rams are “getting close” to exploring opening cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon‘s 21-day practice window, according to head coach Sean McVay (via Sarah Barshop of ESPN). Witherspoon broke his clavicle in a Week 2 win over the Titans, forcing him to go on IR. Expectations then were that Witherspoon would need 12 weeks to recover. If his timeline hasn’t changed, he could return in the first half of December. Meanwhile, McVay is optimistic that wide receiver Tutu Atwell (hamstring) will be back in the lineup in Week 13. Atwell, who has been on IR since Oct. 27, will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday.
  • Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness has missed five games in a row with a foot injury. He’s officially questionable for a matchup with the rival Vikings on Sunday, but the Packers are hopeful he’ll play (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic). The former first-round pick opened the season with 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks in his first five games.
  • Falcons defensive back Billy Bowman will miss Week 12 after sustaining an Achilles injury during a walk-through on Friday morning, head coach Raheem Morris revealed (via Tori McElhaney of the team’s website). Morris said it’s “not good,” which suggests Bowman is in line for a lengthy absence. It’s the second noteworthy injury of the year for Bowman, a fourth-round rookie from Oklahoma who missed three games earlier in the season with a hamstring problem. In his first six games (one start), Bowman has flashed some playmaking ability with 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.
  • The Seahawks have considered an IR stint for rookie receiver Tory Horton, head coach Mike Macdonald said (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). Macdonald revealed that information before the Seahawks’ loss to the Rams in Week 11. Horton missed that game with a shin injury, his second straight absence, and the Seahawks have ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the Titans. The fifth-round pick scored two touchdowns in his most recent appearance, a win over the Commanders in Week 9. While Horton has just 13 catches for 161 yards in eight games, he has already found the end zone six times, including once on a punt return.
  • The Giants placed offensive lineman Evan Neal on IR with a hamstring issue last week. It turns out Neal suffered the injury during a workout, interim head coach Mike Kafka announced (via Duggan). The 2022 seventh overall pick and former tackle didn’t play a snap this year after a demotion to backup guard duties. It seems unlikely Neal will return in 2025. The 25-year-old is scheduled to reach free agency in the offseason at an inopportune time.

Giants Place OL Evan Neal On IR

November 15th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants placed offensive lineman Evan Neal on injured reserve, per a team announcement, likely ending the former first-round pick’s season and time in New York.

Neal has not appeared in a game all year but popped up on this week’s injury report with a hamstring issue that kept him out of practice. He could be activated after his four-game stint on IR is up, but his lack of a game day role suggests that the Giants would rather use the roster spot on another player.

It is hard to see Neal, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft, as anything but a bust. He was named the Giants’ starting right tackle as a rookie and kept it for the whole season, though he missed a few games due to an MCL sprain. Neal was benched midway through his second year and did not make enough progress over the subsequent offseason to get his job back. Injuries along the Giants’ offensive line in 2024 pressed Neal back into duty at right tackle for the last seven games of the season.

The Giants turned down Neal’s fifth-year option in May and were hoping a change to guard could salvage the final year of his rookie contract. The position switch did not take, and Neal is now poised to hit free agency as a potential reclamation project for another team.

New York’s other Saturday roster moves including the promotion of kicker Younghoe Koo to the active roster from the practice squad. Graham Gano was placed on injured reserve (for a second time) earlier this week, so Koo will take over the team’s kicking duties for the next four games. He made all four of his kicks in Week 10, though they all came inside of 40 yards.

The Giants also elevated wide receiver Dalen Cambre and defensive lineman Elijah Chatman from the practice squad for Sunday’s matchup against the Packers. Cambre, an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana, will make his NFL debut, likely as a special teams contributor. He could see some time on offense with veteran wideout Darius Slayton ruled out. Chatman, meanwhile, will make his 2025 debut with Chauncey Golston and Rakeem Nunez-Roches both expected to be sidelined. Chatman made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie last year and appeared in all 17 games with a 39% snap share, but he could not replicate the feat this season.

Giants Were Hesitant To Trade Stars Due To Job Security

November 5th, 2025 at 10:13pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Despite rumblings about a few of their players, the Giants had a quiet trade deadline.

Trading Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence never felt realistic. Teams seemed unlikely to pony up a first-round pick for edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has just 2.5 sacks this season. And the Giants could not find takers on offensive lineman Evan Neal or wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, two players on expiring deals they were open to moving.

Uncertainty around the team’s future also lent itself to standing pat on Tuesday, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. The Giants’ current regime desperately needs to show proof-of-concept with their current vision for the walker. Jettisoning two of their top young defenders could make the team look bad enough down the stretch to threaten the jobs of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

However, the Giants are still realistic about their current standing and need to add talent in the offseason. They were only interested in players under contract through at least 2026, as trading draft picks for rentals would not better the team’s future.

There’s a careful balance to be struck there. At 2-6, the Giants may be content with a losing season if it means a top draft pick. Given the scrutiny on Schoen and Daboll, they may not be intentionally tanking, but adding a rental could help them win an extra game or two without boosting their overall playoff chances. At that point, the extra victories may not be worth the resulting drop in the draft order.

In a way, though, the Giants’ quiet deadline suggests that Schoen and Daboll believe that they have one more year in charge, but their jobs are not secure beyond that. Investing heavily in this year would suggest that they are on the hot seat right now, while trading Lawrence or Thibodeaux for future picks would indicate that they are committed to a long-term rebuild with Dart under center.

Instead, it seems like New York will be approaching the 2026 offseason with the hope of improving their roster around Dart and contending for an NFC playoff spot to show they’re capable of even more.

Giants Looking To Trade OL Evan Neal

November 4th, 2025 at 9:29am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants were hoping that Evan Neal would be their long-term starter – if not an All-Pro – at right tackle when they used the No. 7 pick on him in the 2022 draft.

That vision never materialized. Neal started 20 games across his first two seasons before suffering an ankle injury that eventually forced him onto injured reserve. The Giants signed Jermaine Eluemunor during the 2024 offseason to take over at right tackle and declined Neal’s fifth-year option, though he still started seven games that year after Andrew Thomas‘ season-ending foot injury.

At that point, though, it was clear that Neal did not have a future in New York, at least not at tackle. The Giants attempted to convert him into a guard this offseason, but the switch did not take and Neal has not appeared in a game this season. Now, the team is trying to take advantage of a quiet offensive line market by trying to move Neal before Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline, according to The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.

Neal has been mentioned in trade talks this year; the Raiders reportedly reached out to the Giants recently regarding his availability. Neal himself has even discussed the potential of being moved, but CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones is “not sure [the Giants] would give him away.”

Still, OL-needy teams like the Chargers and the Seahawks could believe in Neal’s original potential and bet on their scheme and coaching staff to finally get some steady play out of his 6-foot-7, 350-pound frame. He would only cost $550k for the rest of the season, per OverTheCap, and his trade value is so low that a Day 3 pick swap could probably get a deal done.

Raiders Inquired On Giants G Evan Neal

November 3rd, 2025 at 12:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders’ Alex Leatherwood first-round pick became emblematic of a regime that struggled in the draft. Leatherwood was off the roster after one season, being waived in 2022. He never started another game following his 2021 rookie season.

A year after the Raiders missed on Leatherwood, the Giants missed on one of his college teammates. Chosen seventh overall in 2022, Evan Neal struggled at right tackle and has not seen the field after a conversion to guard this year. The Giants are believed to be ready to move on, and Neal is as well. The current Raiders regime has expressed a degree of interest.

Las Vegas discussed Neal with New York earlier this month, according to The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson. While these talks are classified as exploratory in nature, it is interesting to hear the Raiders were interested in the contract-year blocker.

Neal played right tackle opposite Leatherwood for the 2020 Crimson Tide, a team that won a national championship. The Mac Jones blockers obviously did not carry that form to the NFL level, with Neal receiving more chances than his former Crimson Tide teammate. Neal has made 27 starts with the Giants, including seven last season. Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL’s second-worst tackle in 2022 and ’23, and an ankle fracture interfered with his development as well.

With Neal viewed as a near-consensus top-10 value in 2022, compared to Leatherwood being deemed a Jon Gruden/Mike Mayock reach in the moment, it would stand to reason a team will take a flier on him in free agency next year. But time is running out for the 25-year-old blocker. It is clear the Raiders are one of the teams with a more positive view of Neal, who will be viewed as a reclamation project now or if/when he leaves New York in free agency.

The Giants have used ex-Raiders starters Greg Van Roten, who beat out Neal in the team’s right guard competition this summer, and Jermaine Eluemunor on the right side of their offensive line. The Raiders have used Jackson Powers-Johnson as their primary RG, with DJ Glaze at RT for the second straight season. Alex Cappa resides as a guard backup.

Giants’ Evan Neal Addresses Potential Trade

November 2nd, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

Midseason trades involving offensive linemen are rare given the importance of healthy depth at the position. It would not entirely come as a surprise if Evan Neal were to be on the move, though.

The fourth-year Giant has yet to play this season. Neal was unable to earn a starting spot at the right guard position during training camp, another underwhelming development in his NFL career. The former No. 7 pick has struggled when on the field as a tackle and falling out of the team’s plans could result in a parting of ways via trade. It appears a change of scenery is something Neal would be on board with.

“I haven’t really heard much internally, but that’s something that’s out of my control,” he said when speaking about a potential trade (via Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic). “So whatever happens, happens… At this point, whatever happens come the deadline, I welcome it.”

Neal’s desire for clarity on his future is understandable. The Giants declined his fifth-year option this past spring, meaning he is a pending free agent. The Alabama product’s trade value as a rental would be very limited of course, but the Giants’ loss on Sunday dropped them to 2-7. As such, a seller’s stance should be in store with respect to the team’s approach on the trade front.

Any number of contenders could be interested in Neal as depth for the stretch run. The Seahawks are in the market for an interior O-line move, so they could be a suitor. Other teams seeking an inexpensive addition could touch base with New York as well, and the team’s approach would be interesting to monitor in that case. Taking on the remainder of Neal’s 2025 salary ($1.1MM) would not be an issue for any acquiring team.

Seahawks Searching For O-Line Help

October 30th, 2025 at 3:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in four years, the Seahawks moved off a successful starting quarterback and did not retool via the draft. Like Geno Smith in 2022, Sam Darnold has worked out early in his Seattle starter debut.

The Seahawks have done a decent job protecting their free agency addition, marking an improvement from Smith’s third and final season at the helm. But the team is believed to be on the lookout for O-line help ahead of the trade deadline, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes.

Seattle has turned to the trade market to help fortify its front in previous years of John Schneider‘s GM regime, having traded for Duane Brown (2017) and Gabe Jackson (2021). Seattle’s current front five is entirely homegrown, with four draft choices and UDFA Jalen Sundell in place as starters. Sundell won the team’s center competition this offseason, and right guard Anthony Bradford won the battle to retain that gig.

This retooled (via Sundell and ex-North Dakota State teammate Grey Zabel) O-line has drawn mixed reviews. ESPN’s pass and run block win rate metrics respectively rank Seattle’s front 11th and 10th, while Pro Football Focus slots it 19th overall. Bradford has emerged as a potential trouble spot, with PFF slotting the Seahawks’ RG 74th among guard regulars (out of 82 qualified options). He has also surrendered the third-highest pressure rate among guards with at least 200 snaps, per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar. The former fourth-round pick has made 28 career starts, being Seattle’s primary RG for three seasons.

The Seahawks have versatile backup Josh Jones as a swing option, while reserve center Olu Oluwatimi resides as an interior option. (Ex-third-round pick Christian Haynes is in the IR-return window.) When Sundell won the center job out of training camp, Oluwatimi — Seattle’s initial Connor Williams replacement last season — was announced as the center option in the event Bradford went down. In that scenario, Sundell would have slid to right guard. The Seahawks have kept Sundell at center during the season’s first half. PFF has graded Sundell 27th among center regulars thus far.

Mike Macdonald said the Seahawks did not consider O-line changes during the bye week, but a trade would stand to demote either Bradford or Sundell. For guard options, Dugar lists veterans Kevin Zeitler, Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio. Both 30-somethings are in contract years. The Browns and Titans blockers are currently protecting rookie QBs, which could make their teams hesitant to deal. It would surprise if Cleveland entertained trading both its guards, but with Bitonio in perhaps his final season, it could make sense for the team to see if the career-long northeast Ohio resident would want to be dealt to a contender. Teller, three years younger than Bitonio, also came up as an extension candidate earlier this year.

Jets LG John Simpson is also in a contract year and is playing for a regime that did not acquire him. Evan Neal is believed to be available, but at this point, the disappointing top-10 Giants pick — who has not played in a game this season — would profile more as a backup than a player who would usurp a starting guard. Dugar points to a low-profile trade being the buyer’s move the Seahawks could make, as the roster is in fairly good shape. A final decision will be due at 3pm CT November 4.

Giants’ RG Battle Takes Shape Ahead Of Training Camp

July 9th, 2025 at 12:37pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants are returning all five of their starting offensive linemen from last season, but they are still expected to hold a competition for the right guard job during training camp, according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.

10-year veteran Greg Van Roten played every snap at right guard in 2024, the only Giant to do so on either side of the ball. He was re-signed to a one-year, $3MM contract this offseason and should enter training camp as the favorite to start once again this year.

However, the 35-year-old Van Roten will likely see some competition for first-team reps with the team’s younger guards. Former No. 7 pick Evan Neal transitioned to guard this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. He struggled at tackle across his first three seasons, but the Giants are hoping that a switch to the interior will help cover up his deficiencies in space. Neal is due just over $4MM in guaranteed money this year, but the Giants will pay a $2.95MM roster bonus on the third day of training camp, per OverTheCap. That will leave just $1.1MM in guaranteed salary for the season, an affordable price for a backup in New York or elsewhere if Neal doesn’t win the starting right guard job.

Second-year UDFA Jake Kubas made the Giants’ 53-man roster as a rookie and started the last three games of the season at both guard spots, per Duggan. He could also factor into the right guard competition, especially with two inexpensive years remaining on his contract with the potential for a restricted free agent tag in 2027.

Van Roten’s durability and consistency last year will put him in pole position to start in 2025, but the Giants must know that retirement isn’t far off for one of the oldest offensive linemen in the league. If Neal or Kubas emerges as a more long-term option, the team could elect to install him as the starter with Van Roten serving as an ultra-reliable backup.

Path Emerging For Evan Neal To Regain Giants Starting Job

June 21st, 2025 at 9:15am CST by Sam Robinson

A midseason ankle injury in 2023 moved Evan Neal out of the Giants’ starting lineup, and the former top-10 pick’s hopes of regaining his starting right tackle job did not produce a serious charge last summer. As a result, the Giants admitted partial defeat on their former No. 7 overall investment by greenlighting a much-rumored position change.

Neal is now a guard, and he took plenty of reps inside during the team’s offseason program — which wrapped this week. Although the Giants could well use the same starting five O-linemen they did in 2024, Neal is expected to be heard from during final training camp on a rookie contract.

The Giants re-signed Greg Van Roten, giving him a slight pay bump (one year, $3.25MM) to return. But the journeyman guard is heading into an age-35 season. A scenario in which the team’s primary 2024 right guard serves as Neal insurance has also emerged. Neal took plenty of reps at left guard during the offseason program, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, as the team managed Jon Runyan Jr.‘s return from two ankle surgeries. Once Runyan returns, the LG job is his. Van Roten’s RG job, however, should be considered in play for Neal, Duggan adds.

Giving Neal extensive work opens the door to the Giants preferring him to win the right guard gig, with Van Roten — who received $2.45MM guaranteed — in place in case the Alabama alum cannot stick the landing on his position change. Such aims have not reached desired conclusions for the Giants in the past, however. The team had hoped 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu would win a starting guard job in 2023, but that did not take place. (Ezeudu remains on Big Blue’s roster as a backup option, but O-line drafting has not been this regime’s forte.) Neal fared poorly as a right tackle and brought injury risk during his first three seasons, leading to the team predictably declining his $16.69MM fifth-year option.

Van Roten started all 17 games for the Giants last season and the Raiders in 2023. The Giants made the interesting move of importing the right side of the 2023 Raiders’ O-line last year, signing both Eluemunor and Van Roten. The latter, however, did not arrive until training camp — when it became clear Neal’s route back to RT had stalled. Pro Football Focus assigned Van Roten a mid-pack grade among guard regulars (42nd) in 2024.

Neal returned to the lineup at right tackle during the second half of last season, as the Giants kicked Eluemunor to LT as a belated post-Andrew Thomas solution. PFF graded Neal 58th (out of 81 qualified options) at tackle last year. That marked a step up from 2022 and ’23, when the advanced metrics site viewed Neal as the NFL’s second-worst tackle. Thomas (once he returns from Lisfranc surgery) and Eluemunor are entrenched at tackle, and James Hudson is now the swingman. Neal is returning to a position he has not played since his freshman year at Alabama; he was a 13-game RG starter for the Crimson Tide in 2019. Some viewed guard as his eventual destination, though the Giants resisted this position change for years.

As the Giants attempt to make the starter-to-bullpen-like Neal switch, they may also be readying Van Roten for potential swing duty. The 2012 UDFA, who stopped through the CFL for two seasons, took some first-string center reps during minicamp, Duggan notes in a separate piece. Mostly a guard as a pro, Van Roten took 138 center snaps last season and logged 159 there for the 2022 Raiders. Former second-round pick John Michael Schmitz has not established himself as a reliable presence just yet. If Neal supplants Van Roten at RG, the latter would stand to be the first option to replace Schmitz — PFF’s 36th- and 28th-ranked center, respectively, in 2023 and ’24 — falters this year.

Brian Daboll said (via the New York Post’s Zach Braziller) Neal has transitioned well inside thus far, though O-line competitions do not truly take shape until pads come on in training camp. This will be a storyline to follow in New York, as Braziller adds the Giants hope a Mekhi Becton– or Ereck Flowers-like rejuvenation at guard can commence. Both players earned themselves $10MM-per-year contracts after guard conversions. After a poor tackle career, Neal looks to have a big opportunity to boost his value ahead of a 2026 free agency bid.

2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1st, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 1 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

  • Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
  • One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
  • Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
    • At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
    • A 75% snap average across all three seasons
    • At least 50% in each of first three seasons
  • Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

We covered how last year’s Pro Bowl invites affected the 2022 first-round class. With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the 2026 option decisions from around the league:

  1. DE/OLB Travon Walker, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
  2. DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson, Lions ($19.87MM): Exercised
  3. CB Derek Stingley Jr., Texans ($17.6MM): Extended through 2029
  4. CB Sauce Gardner, Jets ($20.19MM): Exercised
  5. OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants ($14.75MM): Exercised
  6. T Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers ($17.56MM): Exercised
  7. T Evan Neal, Giants ($16.69MM): Declined
  8. WR Drake London, Falcons ($16.82MM): Exercised
  9. T Charles Cross, Seahawks ($17.56MM): Exercised
  10. WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($16.82MM): Exercised
  11. WR Chris Olave, Saints ($15.49MM): Exercised
  12. WR Jameson Williams, Lions ($15.49MM): Exercised
  13. DT Jordan Davis, Eagles ($12.94MM): Exercised
  14. S Kyle Hamilton, Ravens ($18.6MM): Exercised
  15. G Kenyon Green, Eagles* ($16.69MM): Declined
  16. WR Jahan Dotson, Eagles** ($16.82MM): Declined
  17. G Zion Johnson, Chargers ($17.56MM): Declined
  18. WR Treylon Burks, Titans ($15.49MM): Declined
  19. T Trevor Penning, Saints ($16.69MM): Declined
  20. QB Kenny Pickett, Browns*** ($22.12MM): Declined
  21. CB Trent McDuffie, Chiefs ($13.63MM): Exercised
  22. LB Quay Walker, Packers ($14.75MM): Declined
  23. CB Kaiir Elam, Cowboys**** ($12.68MM): Declined
  24. G Tyler Smith, Cowboys ($20.99MM): Exercised
  25. C Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens ($20.99MM): Declined
  26. DE Jermaine Johnson, Jets ($13.92MM): Exercised
  27. LB Devin Lloyd, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
  28. DT Devonte Wyatt, Packers ($12.94MM): Exercised
  29. G Cole Strange, Patriots ($16.69MM): Declined
  30. DE George Karlaftis, Chiefs ($15.12MM): Exercised
  31. DB Dax Hill, Bengals ($12.68MM): Exercised
  32. S Lewis Cine, Vikings: N/A

* = traded from Texans on March 11, 2025
** = traded from Commanders on August 22, 2024
*** = traded from Eagles on March 15, 2024; traded from Steelers on March 10, 2025
**** = traded from Bills to Cowboys on March 12, 2025

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