The New York Giants enjoyed their second and final joint practice against the Detroit Lions on Tuesday afternoon. Once again, the practice was cut short due to fighting late in the session, but several Giants players stood out against a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Of course, rookie receiver Malik Nabers dominated the entire practice, but right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor shouldn’t be overlooked for his performance in 1V1, 7V7, and 11V11 drills.
The Giants Have a Solid Piece in Jermaine Eluemunor
Eluemunor signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Giants, following Carmen Bricillo from the Las Vegas Raiders to East Rutherford. The 29-year-old former fifth-round pick back in 2017 played 905 snaps last year, tallying 28 pressures and six sacks allowed. However, five of those sacks and 11 pressures came in Weeks 3-4 combined, going 13 straight games without giving up a sack immediately after.
The Giants still have Evan Neal working on the side with trainers, but his future outlook has become murky. At this rate, not only has he lost his starting job, but the Giants may not even view him as a competent backup at this point due to the injury and lack of work. It will take at least several weeks to get up to pace, and by that time, the Giants will have several options that are more suited to serve as primary backups and starters.
With Neal’s long-term future certainly in question, Eluemunor has a one-way ticket to the starting right tackle job, and the Giants desperately need competency in the position. If Daniel Jones has any chance of saving his career with Big Blue and justifying a four-year, $160 million deal, he needs quality protection in the trenches, allowing routes to develop downfield.
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At the very least, Eluemunor will offer average performance tackle, which is a massive step in the right direction compared to what they had last season. However, he has been above-average in two consecutive seasons, putting the Giants in a better situation at an essential position.