The New York Giants were left in uncertainty Saturday night after two projected starters on the offensive line left the game with ankle injuries.
Center John-Michael Schmitz and right tackle Evan Neal played in the Giants’ final preseason game against the Jets because coach Brian Daboll wanted them to make up for lost practice over the summer.
Schmitz was out with a shoulder injury and Neal was slowly recovering after offseason ankle surgery.
Neither player seemed concerned about the injury, with Neal leaving the game after 21 plays, roughly the number of appearances the coaches had planned for him to play.
“First of all, I didn’t miss the game with an ankle injury,” Neal explained after the game. “I was supposed to play 20-25 times and I went out on the 21st play I went in. I just happened to get caught up on the last play… but I got up and I was OK.”
“I’ve jumped up and down a few times and I felt like the doctor wanted to take a look at it to make sure I was OK. I probably won’t have a scan tomorrow but physically I feel OK, so I don’t think there’s anything going on.”
Schmitz also downplayed the injury, attributing it to the hazards of the job and expecting him to be ready for the season opener in two weeks.
“No, I’m not worried,” John-Michael Schmitz said of his status for Week 1. He maintained his ankle is fine, just sprained. #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/uRPBKV1eNH
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) August 25, 2024
Daboll said Schmitz and Neal will undergo MRI scans as a precaution, but the results are not yet known.
The Giants have a few solutions in case either their right tackle or center or both are unable to play in the season opener on Sept. 8.
Jermaine Eluemnoul has filled in for Neal at right tackle this summer, with veterans Austin Schlottman and Greg Van Roten playing center.
