New York Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo shared Friday that Evan Neal is progressing well at right tackle, with no current plans to cross-train him at guard. Bricillo emphasized Neal’s commitment, saying he is doing extra work and is in a good position to contribute to the team. Despite Neal having played guard at Alabama, Bricillo and the coaching staff believe that tackle is his natural position and want to give him more time to develop there, especially after Neal missed team drills in the spring and most of training camp due to injury.
Selected seventh overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, Neal has faced challenges in fulfilling his potential, largely due to injuries. He has missed 14 games over two seasons, including ten games last year due to a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery. These injuries, along with missed practice time, have hindered Neal’s ability to find consistency, particularly in pass blocking. However, Neal has shown more reliability in his run blocking, though he still has work to do to regain confidence and improve his technique.
Neal’s setback continued this past spring when the team shut him down toward the end of OTAs, expecting him to be ready for training camp, which didn’t happen. As a result, Neal has fallen behind in learning the techniques that Bricillo expects from his offensive linemen. Bricillo believes it is crucial for Neal to have time to fully recover from his injuries and gradually work his way back into the mix.
Although Neal has not yet played in the first four games of this season, Bricillo remains optimistic about his future at right tackle. He noted that Neal’s performance in run blocking could be a valuable asset to the team, and while the focus remains on developing Neal’s pass-blocking skills, there is potential to use him in specific schemes. Bricillo mentioned the possibility of using jumbo packages to match Neal’s strengths, but said that personnel decisions would depend on what the opposing team is likely to do.
Overall, while Neal’s development has been hampered by injuries and setbacks, the coaching staff is committed to seeing what he can achieve at right tackle as he continues to work on rebuilding his technique and confidence.
