Giants Notes: Evan Neal activated from PUP list, Daniel Jones will play Saturday vs. Texans

The Giants announced on Sunday morning that the offensive tackle Evan Neil has been activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

The Giants also signed linebacker KJ Cloyd and dismissed the defense Kaleb Hayes.

Neal was placed on the PUP list to begin training camp as he continued to recover from January ankle surgery.

Even though he’s active now, Neal will still need to recover before he can participate in team practices, which means the veteran Jermaine Eluemunor he will probably remain the first team’s right forward, at least for now.

Eluemunor played both tackle and guard in the NFL, and while he could return to one of the guard positions, he could very well prove to be a better option than Neal, who has struggled as a pro, at the right tackle position. In this scenario, either Aaron Stinnie or Greg Van Roten could start at right guard, leaving Neal, the outsider, out.

Neal, 23, has started 20 games for the Giants since being selected seventh overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Selected with hopes of giving the Giants a stout right tackle to pair with André Tomás over the next few years, Neal underperformed, leading to doubts about his position in both the starting lineup and the squad.

Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that the quarterback Daniel Jones will receive some playing time when the Giants face the Houston Texans in their second preseason game on Saturday.

Jones, of course, hasn’t played since tearing his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders last November. Jones, who also suffered a neck injury, played in just six games last season, going 1-5 with 909 passing yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

John Michael Schmitz returns to training

Some more good news about the Giants’ offensive line at center John Michael Schmitz is returning to training camp after dealing with a shoulder injury.

Without Schmitz in the lineup, Van Roten had been taking most of his reps at center, but the veteran will now likely move to right guard, where he will have the opportunity to earn the starting role.