Giants offensive tackle Will Beatty has suffered a torn pectoral muscle, and is undergoing surgery to repair it, tweets Tom Rock of Newsday. Rock expects the recovery to be about five months, which would mean Beatty would likely miss at least the first half of the 2015 season. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Beatty sustained the injury.
The injury is a huge blow for the Giants, who used their first-round pick in this year’s draft on a tackle in an effort to solidify their offensive line. Beatty was one of the league’s more effective left tackles in 2014, grading as a positive contributor as both a run- and pass-blocker, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF ranked him 14th overall out of 84 qualified players at the position.
With Beatty out, the Giants figure to lean more heavily on ninth overall pick Ereck Flowers right out of the gate. While Flowers may not be ready to play left tackle immediately, the Giants could potentially play him on the right side, with right tackle Justin Pugh shifting over to replace Beatty.