The New York Giants are expected to see the return of several injured players this week, including offensive linemen Ben Bredeson and Jon Feliciano.
But what would that mean for Nick Gates, who was the 10th-highest graded center in the NFL in Week 12?
Given how well Gates is playing upon his return, the Giants may want to keep him out there. And in order to make that happen, it’s Bredeson who could see time on the bench as both Gates and Feliciano start.
“I think we’d consider whatever we think is best. If we have a bunch of guys out here, we’ll roll them in and see how everyone operates,” head coach Brian Daboll said when asked about starting both centers.
Gates and Feliciano have experience at both guard and center, so the Giants could mix and match if necessary. Early indications seem to be that Gates would be swung out to guard and Feliciano inserted back at center, but that may not be the best combination.
There’s a chance we see Nick Gates at LG & Jon Feliciano at center Sunday.
RB Gary Brightwell not spotted at practice. Kalil Pimpleton & Richie James handling kick return #Giants
CB Nick McCloud did something to his left foot during kick coverage but stayed. Flott practicing pic.twitter.com/0z3bui6yvM
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) November 29, 2022
Feliciano is a first-time center in 2022 and his season has been somewhat rocky to date. His natural position is guard and moving him to the left side and starting Gates at center could give the Giants their best O-line combination of the year. But Feliciano has been very clear about his desire to play center and Daboll wasn’t as enthused with Gates’ Week 12 performance as Pro Football Focus was.
“He did okay,” Daboll said of Gates. “(There’s) some stuff he can do better, but he did a good job.”
Whatever happens come Sunday, Daboll insists it will be in the best interest of the team. But ultimately, he’s not ready to make any sort of commitment just yet.
“I would say relative to the guys coming back, there’s still a few days here,” the coach said. “I don’t want to make some split-second decision.”
