Will Beatty tears pectoral, out 5-6 months

The New York Giants were dealt a tough blow on Wednesday, when left tackle Will Beatty tore his pectoral muscle working out, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. Beatty is expected to miss 5-6 months, potentially sidelining him until around Thanksgiving.

New York has been trying to upgrade the offensive line in recent years without much success. However, general manager Jerry Reese continued to make that effort in the 2015 NFL Draft, taking right tackle Ereck Flowers out of the University of Miami (FL) with the ninth-overall selection.

In 2013, the Giants took Justin Pugh in the first round, from the University of Syracuse, to play either tackle or guard. Pugh is projected to play at guard this year, although the Beatty injury might force some shifting. Pugh has started at right tackle for the last two years, but now could move to left tackle instead of kicking side as originally planned.

It appears the line could be Pugh at left tackle, Flowers on the right, and an interior of Geoff Schwartz, John Jerry and Weston Richburg.

Last year, Beatty rated as the 14th-best tackles of all 84 tackles on Pro Football Focus, checking in with a grade of +13.0. Without Beatty, the Giants will need to make some serious adjustments to keep Eli Manning upright. Manning has the mobility of a statue, so any kind of pressure will likely result in a sack, throw-away or interception. In other words, the loss of Beatty is crushing to a team that was hoping to compete in the NFC East.

Coming off three consecutive seasons without the postseason, New York is under serious pressure. Head coach Tom Coughlin is on the hot seat, despite winning two Super Bowls over the New England Patriots throughout his tenure.