Evan Neal’s time with the Giants appears to be over for good, and now the former No. 7 overall pick is left searching for a team willing to take one more swing.
New York had a chance to keep the 25-year-old, 6-foot-7, 340-pound lineman around on the practice squad after releasing him on Sunday, but that door has closed. The Giants filled all 17 spots on the P-squad without Neal, even after general manager Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh began building it out Monday with names like Braxton Berrios, Dalen Cambre, and, surprisingly, Jalin Hyatt.
They initially left four openings, then added four more on Tuesday. Neal never made it back in.
So unless something changes later, the Giants’ experiment with Neal is finished. The question now is whether another team thinks it can get something out of him.
Seattle is one possibility, even if the fit is far from perfect. The Seahawks kept 10 offensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster, so they aren’t exactly crying out for help.
Still, right guard is worth a look. Anthony Bradford remains the starter there, but his pass protection has been shaky, and Seattle has spent the last few years cycling through young options without finding much stability behind him.
Neal brings plenty of baggage, sure, but there was a reason he went seventh overall four years ago. The Seahawks could tuck him on the practice squad, let him keep working at guard, and see whether a new setting changes the equation - even if the 12-man fanbase has little interest in the project.
Detroit might be the cleanest place for Neal to reset. If he’s trying to get out of the spotlight and clear his head, the Lions offer that kind of environment.
Their line has already shifted, with Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge now manning the guard spots, and Neal would be working under Hank Fraley, who has built a reputation as one of the league’s most respected offensive line coaches. That matters here.
Neal moved inside last season, but he never played a regular-season snap at guard, and a transition like that is harder than people tend to think. Injuries only complicated things, with his season ending in November after he landed on IR and lost more practice time to settle in.
Then there’s New Orleans, which might make the most sense on pure numbers alone. The Saints kept only eight offensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster, which already makes Neal worth a call.
They also have some recent history with this kind of move. Trevor Penning, the No. 19 pick in the same 2022 draft Neal entered as the seventh selection, shifted inside to guard last season before the Saints eventually traded him to the Chargers.
Neal has followed a strikingly similar path a little farther north: three years trying and failing to stick at tackle in New York, a move to guard last season, and now a fresh start somewhere else. For New Orleans, taking a flyer on a massive 25-year-old lineman would fit the pattern almost too neatly.
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