EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — When the New York Giants reported to training camp last week, there seemed to be a few questions about their offensive line.
After a week of practices, there are seemingly more, especially with second-year right tackle Evan Neal walking off the field early on Friday with what the team said later was diagnosed as a concussion.
Neal, left tackle Andrew Thomas and right guard Mark Glowinski were about set on the line when camp opened. The left guard and center spots were up for grabs.
Now are three, and possibly four .
The center spot opened when Jon Feliciano signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent after a one-year stint in New York. Second-round draft pick John-Michael Schmitz and veteran Ben Bredeson were the front runners to replace him.
Bredeson was also a candidate for left guard, too, after playing there some last season along with second-year pro Josh Ezeudu, Shane Lemieux and veteran Tyre Phillips.
Glowinski, who was signed as a free agent last season and started, was the incumbent. He surprisingly worked with the second team on Thursday as Ezeudu got a day with the top unit.
“The days are running together, but it’s whoever plays the best,” coach Brian Daboll said of the right guard position, and really of all the line spots on Friday. “That’s why we’re putting them out there, we’re giving them different matchups, different looks."
The bottom line is everyone is being asked to prove themselves. It not only determines who is best, but gives the lineman the flexibility to move around if needed.
Schmitz has played well at center, for a rookie. He worked against defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence on Wednesday when the team donned pads and held his own in one-on-one drills.
“Dex is a great player,” Schmitz said after practice. "Great opportunity to go against him every day in practice. Continue to perfect my craft, learn from him, and at the end of the day get better.
Schmitz is vocal on the field. The center tends to make the calls for the line and doing it right can spell the difference between a good or a bad play.
"I'd say you just have to be ready for anything," said Schmitz, who played in college at Minnesota. “You never know what’s going to happen in a game. You never know who is going to be out there. Substitutions can happen, and injuries can happen. You just got to be ready to go.”
Over the next month, the Giants will fill in the blanks at the five line positions. The only certainty is Thomas will start if he stays healthy. He is among the best in the league.
For the others, Daboll wants his coaches to create different matchups in practices on a daily basis. The performances in the preseason will help in the evaluation.
After that, line coach Bobby Johnson and Daboll will decide on a starting unit.
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NOTES: ... TE Darren Waller seemed to hurt a few fingers in a blocking drill. He had them taped and returned to work. ... DL Ryan Anderson had a triceps injury on Thursday, Daboll said, adding it was not a worst-case scenario. C J.C. Hassenaur had one of those earlier in the week and will miss the season. ... WR Jeff Smith, who sustained a knee injury earlier this week, was waived/injured. NT Donovan Jeter was signed. ... Quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney and his wife Emily had their first child on Thursday night, a girl. He was back at practice Friday. ... After being limited to seven regular-season games by ankle, calf and hamstring injuries last season, OLB Azeez Ojulari said he added stretching and yoga to his training.
