EAST RUTHERFORD – The main reason NFL teams keep their regular players away from preseason games is to avoid injury risks.
The Giants minimized that risk as much as possible on Saturday night, and yet a key injury occurred.
Center John Michael Schmitz, who was limited in practice due to a shoulder injury at the start of summer training camp and was the team’s only starter on the field against the Jets, injured his ankle on the offensive’s first drive in the final preseason game and did not return as the Giants suffered a 10-6 loss.
It now appears likely that the Giants’ projected offensive line of left tackle Andrew Thomas, left guard Jon Runyan Jr., Schmitz, right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will not play a single snap together before the season opener on September 8.
While this is not ideal, it is also not a death sentence for a franchise that is looking to finally get a handle on its decade-long offensive line problem.
The Giants’ starting five have played well in training camp despite some shakeups and with swing guard Aaron Stinnie in the starting lineup. The problem is, none of that matters until the real games start, and their depth is a big question mark.
Van Roten would likely move to the center position if Schmitz misses the first week with his injury, as backup Austin Schlottman has struggled this summer and was promptly beaten in the trenches, leading to a sack by Tommy DeVito in the second quarter against the Jets.
The Giants will also likely need to find a more viable swing tackle after Tuesday’s roster cuts, as Josh Ezeudu also had a rough night against the Jets’ backup defensive front.
Right tackle Evan Neal, on the other hand, continues to appear to be a lost cause for a top-10 2022 draft pick. He missed most of training camp while rehabbing his ankle on the PUP list, and then he too left Saturday’s game in the first half with an ankle injury.
The Giants’ offensive line has little room for error. The good news, however, is that the Giants may have played it safe on Saturday night by starting Schmitz, who was unable to play the entire game on Saturday and still has two weeks to be fit for the Vikings.
Notes
• Former Rutgers kicker Jude McAtamney converted his first two field goal attempts of the preseason: a 43-yard attempt in the second quarter and a 23-yard attempt in the fourth quarter.
• Outside linebacker Benton Whitley made a strong final push to make the Giants’ 53-man roster, recording 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. Inside linebacker KJ Cloyd also had an impressive performance, totaling 14 tackles and two for a loss, but the undrafted rookie will likely be released next week.
• Other Giants who left the game due to injuries were cornerback Darnay Holmes (neck), offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield (lower leg/ankle), defensive lineman Timmy Horne (Achilles) and cornerback Mario Goodrich (hamstring). They are all unlikely to make the Giants’ 53-man roster. Holmes, a fourth-round pick out of UCLA in 2020, has an outside chance due to the team’s thin cornerback depth, but it wasn’t a good sign that he played at all in the second half of the game.
• Isaiah McKenzie missed two punts in the preseason, including one in the third quarter against the Jets, but he is still considered the favorite to be the Giants’ primary returner, according to NFL Network, with Gunner Olszewski expected to miss another 1-3 weeks with a groin injury.
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