The Giants activated tackle Evan Neal from the physically unable to perform list on Sunday in a move that clears Neal to begin practicing for the first time this summer.
Neal has been recovering from the ankle injury that ended his 2023 season and he’ll now have a chance to make his case to remain in the starting lineup after a pair of lackluster seasons since being selected in the first round of the 2022 draft. General Manager Joe Schoen said this offseason that Neal needs to play better and Neal said on Sunday that he’s “always going to be the harshest critic on myself, so I need to play better” in what he acknowledges is a crucial season.
“Yeah, it’s a big year for me,” Neal said, via a transcript from the team. “I’m not going to sit here and act like it’s not, but at the end of the day, the past two years, they weren’t perfect by any means, but I feel like they were solid. They definitely weren’t what I wanted them to be, but a lot of things that happened were just out of my control, just like the future, it’s out of my control. I can only control the present and how I approach every single day, and that will be a big indication of my future.”
Neal has been resistant to thoughts that he could move inside to guard in the past, but said he’s willing to play “whatever role that I’m asked to do on the team” during the 2024 season. Now that he’s been cleared to play, the Giants can start making those kinds of decisions.