The New York Giants will be without their All-Pro offensive tackle, Andrew Thomas, for the remainder of the season. The news was confirmed by Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll on Wednesday.
Thomas hurt his foot during the 7-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. He was later diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury and underwent surgery to repair the damage.
Speaking with reporters, Daboll said that replacing Thomas is impossible.
“Well, you can’t replace an Andrew Thomas. I feel terrible for him,” Daboll shared. “He’s a leader, he’s a captain, he’s great in the locker room, he’s a very good football player.”
This represents a tough blow for the Giants, especially since their offensive line was starting to look a lot better than it did last year. With Thomas starring as left tackle and offseason additions like guards Jon Runyan Jr. and Greg Van Roten making an immediate mark, it seemed like the Giants finally have a capable unit to protect quarterback Daniel Jones and get the running game started.
With Thomas out, the Giants will likely turn to one of the third-year OTs, Evan Neal or Josh Ezeudu, to fill in the void at LT. Additionally, they might consider moving Jermaine Eluemunor, who is starting at right tackle, to the left side.
Andrew Thomas entered the league as the fourth overall pick by the Giants in 2020. After a slow start to his career, Thomas had a breakthrough season in 2022, in which he earned Second Team All-Pro honors. He went on to sign a five–year, $117.5 million contract extension with the New York team ahead of the 2023 campaign.
