Giants’ backup OL carted off with undisclosed injury

NFL: New York Giants Training Camp, josh ezeudu
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The New York Giants got another injury scare during Friday’s practice, as backup offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu was carted off towards the end of practice with an undisclosed injury, per Patricia Traina of Sports Illustrated.

Joshua Ezeudu seems to be dealing with another injury

No updates on his health have been made public, but the hope is that he avoided a serious injury. While he is only expected to be used in a backup role this season, the Giants will need his services to be available in the event a starter goes down with an injury.

NFL: New York Giants Training Camp
Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

The third-year tackle has run into some unfortunate injury luck in his short career. He missed seven games with a neck injury in 2022 and appeared in only six games before suffering a toe injury last season. The Giants needed him last season after All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury, and the depleted depth as a result of injuries is what made general manager Joe Schoen prioritize upgrading the O-line this offseason.

The Giants added a significant amount of offensive line depth this offseason

They added Jermaine Eluemunor, Jon Runyan and recently Greg Van Roten through free agency to address the offensive line, which in effect takes Evan Neal out of the equation to compete for a starting spot after two rough seasons filled with bad performances and injuries. Those additions are sure to create a much stronger unit at the front lines than the one that allowed a franchise-worst 85 sacks last season.

Ezeudu isn’t expected to get many reps throughout training camp and won’t be starting when the regular season begins, but a serious injury might force Schoen and the Giants to head back to the drawing board and sign a replacement.

Hopefully, the Giants do not have to do that and will be able to have Ezeudu readily available for when – or if – he is called upon to contribute in games. For now, they will hold their breath as they await more details regarding his status.

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