Jon Halapio has been the New York Giants‘ starting center for the better part of the past two years. However, with slightly over four minutes remaining in the 2019 NFL season, Halapio went down with what would prove to be a torn Achilles.
The devastating injury has seemingly put his NFL career on hold and his tenure with Big Blue in limbo. The current free agent’s time in New York may appear to be over on the surface. However, the door is far from shut on a Halapio returning to not only Big Blue’s roster, but potentially their Week 1 starting lineup.
“Halapio is coming back, hopefully he’ll be ready to go and recovered from the Achilles by June. We’re just going to keep working at it,” general manager Dave Gettleman said during a conference call in late April.
Of course, that timeline well exceeds the initial expectation that Halapio could miss the entirety of the 2020 season. Yet, recent workout videos certainly align with Gettleman’s statement.
Week 18 Post Achilles Surgery. Steady grinding and healing during this Quarantine. 😤 #GodIsTheGreatest
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Will Halapio Re-Sign With Giants?
The Giants chose not to tender Halapio this offseason, mainly due to the fact that he would not have passed a physical.
New York then went out and used a 5th-round selection on interior offensive lineman Shane Lemieux out of Oregon in this year’s NFL Draft. 3rd-Year lineman Nick Gates is expected to get work at center during training camp. They also made Rhode Island’s Kyle Murphy their highest-paid UDFA signing. The Giants are expected to allow all three players to bid for the starting center job, despite each having limited-to-no experience at the position.
Week 16 post Achilles surgery. Getting better and stronger everyday. Excited to finally start some new exercises now that I have reached week 16 🏋️♂️😤🦍 #DaGut #GodIsTheGreatest
Chances are, if one of the youngsters can stake claim to the starting center position, then Halapio’s services will likely not be needed again in New York. With that said, if Spencer Pulley proves to be the G-Men’s best option at center, Gettleman may want to pick up the phone and give Halapio a ring.
Pulley didn’t start a single game with the Giants in 2019. He is, however, just two years removed from starting an entire 16-game season with the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2018. Although, his 56.7 PFF grade from that year leaves much to be desired.
Halapio is still just 28-years-old and obviously held in high regard by Gettleman and the Giants organization. His 2019 season was a disappointment, even prior to his injury. However, his 2018 campaign, in which he recorded a respectable 74.1 PFF grade, shows you the type of player he can be. The recent workout videos Halapio has posted have shown that he’s determined to get back to that player sooner rather than later.
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Ex-Giants Starter Eyeing Return to Team Following Devastating Injury [WATCH]