Giants quietly nailed this offseason move (and it's flying under the radar)

The New York Giants didn’t overhaul everything this offseason, even though it definitely felt like they did. They added a capable starter under center with Russell Wilson and made a bold move up the draft board for Jaxson Dart. They revamped the secondary, bolstered the pass rush, and brought in more depth across the board.

Between all those headlining moves, it’s easy to overlook the most quietly brilliant decision of all: moving Evan Neal to guard. The former top-10 pick has been a source of frustration for the better part of three seasons, and it looked like his time in New York was coming to an end. His fifth-year option was declined, and his name popped up in more than a few trade conversations. He looked like a bust—and maybe he still is... at tackle.

But the G-Men aren’t giving up on him just yet. Nope, they're getting innovative and looking to get the most out of the 24-year-old.

Evan Neal’s position change is quietly reshaping the Giants’ offensive line

There was a time when Neal was viewed as a long-term building block. He was widely considered one of the most talented and intriguing tackle prospects of his class. The problem wasn’t necessarily a lack of talent—it was fit, development, and durability.

All of that has unraveled over three disappointing years at right tackle, where his pass protection has just been brutally exposed time and again.

Neal is now embracing a full-time switch to guard, and he’s already working with the first-team unit at OTAs. That’s not nothing. And while offseason optimism is basically a league-wide epidemic, this one actually makes sense. Neal’s frame and power profile always lined up better on the interior.

There’s no guarantee this will work, but it has worked before. Plenty of players—Mekhi Becton, Robert Gallery, Greg Robinson—flamed out at tackle and found new life inside. Neal might follow that same path. He might not become a Pro Bowler, but if he turns into a capable starter at guard, the team will have salvaged something meaningful from a pick that once looked like a total bust

And right now, that outcome actually feels possible.

Neal may not live up to the expectations that come with being the seventh overall pick. The tape is already out there, and the career arc is what it is. But his buy-in so far this offseason suggests he’s not fading into darkness. If the G-Men end up fielding a more functional offensive line in 2025—something that needs to happen—this might just be the move that made it all possible... even if almost no one’s giving it the attention it might deserve.