Embattled New York Giants right tackle Evan Neal has had his share of moments where he’s come up small.
On Sunday, during the Giants’ listless 34-7 whitewashing down in Atlanta against the Falcons, he committed what might just be his signature blooper.
Neal was assigned to engage the outside rusher. Instead, he missed the block and ended up flailing on the turf.
What is Giants RT Evan Neal doing on this play?
Seriously. I’m asking.
🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/wNm9pv6MGE
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) December 22, 2024
After the game, Neal was asked what happened on the play, which resulted in an interception return for a touchdown by Falcons defensive end Matthew Judon.
“Yeah, that specific play design, it’s my responsibility to cut my defensive end when he’s rushing, so I threw a cut,” Neal told NJ Advance Media. “It didn’t look that good. But yeah, I just threw the cut on him.”
When asked what he should do differently on that play, Neal said, “I probably could have threw a better cut.”
That’s an understatement. No one is calling this a lack of effort; they are just chalking it up to poor execution and perhaps even Neal being ill-equipped to be a starting tackle in the NFL right now.
The former No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft has had a rough go in his nearly three seasons in the NFL. Injuries have curtailed Neal’s development and he’s largely been inconsistent, mostly having issues with speed rushers.
There are rumblings that Neal, who the Giants will have to make a decision on a fifth-year option next spring, could be moved to guard. The Giants have insisted that isn’t in the plans but after this season’s uneven performance, they are likely to reconsider.
