Giants offensive lineman Andrew Thomas still hasn’t fully recovered from his offseason ankle injury. During an appearance on the Giants Huddle podcast, Thomas admitted that he’s still not 100 percent but intends to be on the field for the start of training camp.
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“Rehab is coming along pretty well. I’m doing everything the trainers ask me to do,” Thomas said (via Matt Citak of the team’s website). “Definitely moving a lot better and I’m prepared to be ready for training camp.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s part of the business, learning how to navigate being injured because you’re never going to feel 100 percent. But I felt like last year I started to make some strides. It’s a little frustrating sometimes when you can’t be on the field with your teammates.”
While Thomas didn’t miss any time during his rookie year, he dealt with an ankle injury throughout the campaign. The nagging injury ended up carrying into the 2021 season and ultimately cost the lineman four games due to a stint on the injured reserve.
The fourth-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Thomas disappointed a bit during his rookie campaign, allowing 10 sacks in 16 games. He reduced that number to only two sacks allowed while starting each of his 13 appearances in 2021. Thomas ranked 19th on Pro Football Focus’ list of 83 qualifying offensive tackles last year, and he earned particularly high scores for his pass-blocking ability.
The Giants did some work on their offensive line this offseason. They brought in veterans Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano, and they later added tackle Evan Neal with the seventh-overall pick. That trio will likely start alongside Thomas, who is expected to slide in at left tackle.
offensive line is going to be amazing with those 2 tackles.. now they just need a QB
New York can afford to be patient with Thomas. This is not a contending year, and though Jones should be given every chance to succeed, Thomas has a greater chance of sticking around for the long haul if the season disappoints. It’s more critical that he recover fully than be rushed to the field for what essentially will be an evaluative year.