Giants GM: Evan Neal ‘needs to play better’; team didn’t take trade calls on Saquon Barkley
— Daniel Jones and the New York Giants quarterback situation dominated general manager Joe Schoen’s bye week availability on Monday. But Schoen also talked at length about another notable piece to the offensive puzzle.
Evan Neal “needs to play better,” Schoen said of his right tackle. “He knows that.”
Neal, the franchise’s No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft, has endured a rough start to his Giants career. An up-and-down rookie season was supposed to be followed up by a big step forward in Year 2. Instead, Neal’s struggles have continued.
He has allowed four sacks, 24 pressures, 26 hurries and six QB hits in seven games this season, according to TruMedia. All but the sacks are team highs. Neal also hasn’t endeared himself to the fanbase, as he criticized “fair-weather” Giants fans after a loss earlier this year. He’s now dealing with an ankle injury that has kept him out of five of the past six games.
Neal’s performance has prompted conversations about moving him inside, from tackle to guard, but Schoen doesn’t think it’s time for a move like that.
“I went back and watched the Alabama stuff; the kid can play,” Schoen said. “We just got to get him to be more consistent. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Evan. He’s a hard worker. It’s killing him right now (not) to be out there. He’s missing some valuable reps in Year 2, but ... he’s scratching and clawing to get back.”
Coach Brian Daboll said Monday that Neal is getting better on the health front, and he’s hopeful Neal will return to the field this season.
Neal, of course, hasn’t been the only offensive lineman struggling this year. Since All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas went down in Week 1 with a hamstring injury and missed seven games, the whole line has been in a near-constant state of upheaval. Schoen gave one of the longest answers of the day when asked about how the line’s construction went wrong this season. He pointed to Thomas’ injury and the constant forced rotation to battle other injuries.
The Giants didn’t bring in any notable new faces aside from drafting center John Michael Schmitz in the second round while losing some veterans in free agency.
“We thought John Michael would be an upgrade in there, which he’s done a good job for us,” Schoen said. “And again, as you are building this, was it more weapons for Daniel, was it outside backers, was it corner? We are trying to build this thing, as much as we want instant gratification and instant results, there is an element of patience as you build it and try to build it the right way.
“You just can’t address everything overnight, and we are going to continue to work on it. I do believe in building it up front and that offensive line is important.”
Here are more takeaways from Schoen’s remarks:
Barkley’s future
Schoen preempted questions on any upcoming free agents by saying he’d save those comments for the offseason. But that didn’t stop looming free agent Saquon Barkley ’s name from coming up — not only the running back’s performance thus far but as a possible trade asset at the Oct. 31 deadline.
Barkley was franchise tagged this offseason and after months of negotiations, he and the Giants reached a one-year deal ahead of training camp. Barkley has long said he wants to remain a Giant for life, but what Schoen and the Giants want remains to be seen. This season, Barkley has totaled 865 yards from scrimmage in nine games after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2.
“Saquon, I mean, he’s a captain,” Schoen said. “He comes to work every day. I know there were some questions a couple of weeks ago about still coming to work and the longevity and the tread on the tires and all that stuff. He comes to work every day. He does everything we ask. He’s a great teammate. He’s a captain.
“As you’re going through adversity, I think he’s a big part of keeping the locker room together. I respect Saquon a lot and the way he’s handled himself through this entire process.”
Barkley didn’t wish to be traded at the deadline and the Giants didn’t listen to offers, Schoen said.
“To move that guy,” Schoen said, “it just didn’t make any sense, and we didn’t take any calls or receive any calls on him.”
The Williams trade
While Barkley was unavailable at the deadline, the Giants dealt defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seahawks in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. The Giants were 2-6 at the time of the deal with their sights clearly set on the future.
“When Seattle called and offered a second-round pick for a 29-year-old player that was on an expiring contract, we had nine games left,” Schoen said. “It just made the most sense long-term, in terms of the build.”
One of the more intriguing parts of the deal was that Williams said the Giants gave him a choice on the trade.
Leonard Williams on his conversations with Joe Schoen and how a deal came to be pic.twitter.com/7lEm9JfDbs— Talkin’ Giants November 1, 2023
Schoen didn’t offer a ton of elaboration, pointing to the story which included Williams’ agent Brandon Parker ’s remarks on that detail of the trade. Schoen kept the personal conversations private but said they accounted for not only what made sense for the franchise going forward but also relationships and locker room perception.
“That won’t happen for everybody. It was just Leo and where we were,” Schoen said. “These aren’t just — as much as you’d like it to be transactional and fantasy football, like, just drop a player, add a player, drop a player, add a player, there’s a human element to it. There’s a locker room element that you’ve got to think about, the ripple effect. ... That was a very difficult decision on many fronts. Just as many pros as cons.”
Punt returner hindsight
Schoen took the blame for not better addressing the Giants’ need at punter returner. He said he and the team put rookie fifth-rounder Eric Gray in a bad spot early on this seaon. He also admitted some of the players they liked in the draft with return ability went a little higher than they expected.
The returner situation has been a longstanding issue in New York. Last year, top cornerback Adoree’ Jackson missed time after suffering a knee injury on a punt return.
Veterans Jamison Crowder , Jaydon Mickens , and Kalil Pimpleton were all in competition for the role during camp, but the job went to Gray despite him looking less comfortable than the others. Schoen said it was a numbers game at wide receiver, and the team simply didn’t have the roster spots to keep one of those veteran returners, so they went with Gray.
"That's on me."Joe Schoen talks about the Giants' issues at punt returner this season: pic.twitter.com/ZOLj4SKPAn
— Giants Videos November 27, 2023
Gray was benched after muffing a punt as the Giants tried out other options. Eventually, they signed Gunner Olszewski to the practice squad in late October, and he’s served as the primary punt returner since Week 8. Olszewski has enjoyed far more success, averaging 9.3 yards a return to Gray’s 4.0 yards.
“Eric’s got a bright future, and we probably put him in a spot that wasn’t most comfortable for him either, but he went out there, didn’t flinch ... and did what he could. But again that’s on me, early on,” Schoen said.
Coaching changes coming?
The major story out of Sunday’s game was the alleged tension between defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and Daboll. Fox’s Jay Glazer reported the two were in a “bad place,” that he didn’t see them continuing their relationship beyond the season and that it could potentially end even sooner.
Daboll and players downplayed the report on Sunday and when asked Monday if he could say for sure that Martindale would be in New York the rest of the season, Daboll declined to say definitively one way or other.
Schoen was asked if expects any coaching changes and what his involvement in any decision would be.
“I know you guys just asked Dabs about that, so those are all postseason conversations, and I’ll lean on Dabs on that,” Schoen said.
When asked about making it through the current season, Schoen claimed he didn’t realize the report included the possibility of Martindale not making it through the year.
“Listen, there is always going to be noise,” Schoen said. “There is a lot of noise in this market. It is what it is. I know what we think inside those four walls, and that’s what matters. I’ve got a great relationship with Wink, (so) I don’t know where some of this stuff comes from. I’ll yield to Dabs on what he said on that.”
(Photo: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)
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