The New York Giants have not won double-digit games since finishing with an 11-6 record in 2016. Their highest win total in the past eight seasons came in 2022, when Saquon Barkley helped lift New York to nine regular-season victories and a Wild Card win. The Giants won three fewer games in 2023, then won three fewer than that in 2024. At that current pace, New York would finish the 2025 season without a single victory.
Like most struggling teams, many of New York’s offensive woes begin in the trenches. In 2024, the Giants were ranked No. 26 in pass block win rate and No. 27 in run block win rate, per ESPN Analytics. New York’s porous offensive line up was partially caused by right tackle Evan Neal, who has struggled mightily through the first three years of his career.
The Giants were hoping Neal would be a long-term anchor on the offensive line when they selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Three years later, general manager Joe Schoen has made it clear that the Alabama product may not even be a part of the team’s long-term plans. The Giants declined the fifth-year option on Neal’s contract, effectively making the 2025 season the final year of his rookie deal.
Evan Neal could follow in the footsteps of Mekhi Becton
Although the Giants have lost faith in Neal as a bookend on their offensive line, he’ll receive one last opportunity to earn a second contract as an interior offensive lineman. Neal is expected to compete for the starting right guard role in training camp, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz reported on Wednesday.
If Neal wants to change the trajectory of his career, he doesn’t have to look far to find a winning formula. The Philadelphia Eagles, an NFC East rival, mauled their opponents in the trenches last season en route to a championship in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles' starting offensive line included Mekhi Becton, who also began his career as a struggling offensive tackle with the New York Jets.
Becton, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, battled injuries throughout his rookie contract. The Jets parted ways with Becton after that deal expired, but the Eagles picked him up as a reclamation project and moved him inside to right guard. The gamble paid off, as the 25-year-old allowed just three sacks in 15 starts and helped the Eagles hoist their second Lombardi Trophy.
Neal will look to replicate Becton’s success at right guard with the Giants. One successful season could be enough to earn Neal a second contract, whether it’s in New York or elsewhere. Becton’s breakout year earned him a two-year, $20 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. But first, Neal will have to focus on winning the job — Giants offensive guards Greg Van Roten and Aaron Stinnie are also competing for the position.