John Harbaugh looked at some film and reached his own conclusion about Evan Neal being a draft bust, only it wasn’t a verdict many within and outside the New York Giants might have expected.
Neal is officially back with the team in 2026 NFL free agency. A move confirmed by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Wednesday, March 11.
As well as referencing a post from AMDG Sports, Neal’s representatives, confirming the news, Garafolo told The Insiders all about Harbaugh’s role in the decision: “John Harbaugh took a lot at some of the film and, from my understanding, feels like there’s a lot of untapped potential that he’s not gotten into yet and that he and this coaching staff want to get a crack it, work with Evan Neal.”
Neal returning to MetLife Stadium is more than a mild shock after the seventh player drafted in 2022 has floundered at multiple spots along the offensive line. He’s unlikely to get another go at right tackle after the Giants wisely brought back skilled veteran pass-protector Jermaine Eluemunor, but perhaps Harbaugh sees Neal as a potential bargain fix for Big Blue’s lack of physical dominance at guard.
It’s a problem the Giants had been willing to wait out during this market, maybe because Harbaugh believes he has the right coaches to help Neal finally make the grade. A changing style on offense means he might actually be right.
John Harbaugh Can Salvage Evan Neal
Believing in yet another reclamation project for Neal is a tall ask for Giants fans, but Harbaugh could be the coach to make it happen. Notably, because the former Baltimore Ravens sideline chief coaches a brand of offense suited to the few things Neal does well.
Those things involve using straight-ahead power in the running game. Fortunately, a physical ground attack is the hallmark of Harbaugh’s teams, a familiar trope underlined by the Giants adding an All-Pro former Raven to their own backfield.
Harbaugh hiring longtime offensive coordinator Greg Roman to call the run game also tipped how the Giants will move the ball. Roman designs a smash-mouth, run-heavy approach, something new offensive line coach Mike Bloomgreen will help put into practice.
Bloomgreen was part of Stanford’s staff under Harbaugh’s brother Jim, when the Cardinal overloaded the line of scrimmage and pounded defenses on the deck. Neal can be an asset in this plan if he can ever translate his massive 6-foot-7, 340-pound frame into physical dominance.
Harbaugh clearly believes it’s possible, but Neal’s disappointing recent history makes this the first true gamble by the Giants during this free agency period.
Giants Feel Like They’re Winning Free Agency
Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen, perhaps the man most invested in Neal enjoying a career revival, are enjoying their first veteran market working together. At least based on this take from Ian O’Connor of The Athletic, who is “Hearing internally Giants feel free agency so far couldn’t have gone better but that they are at the low end of their budget now and any further moves would have to be modest deals.”
The Giants being content with their free agency haul makes sense when their moves have followed a distinct pattern. One based on adding more muscle to the trenches and supplementing the O-line.
Giving Neal another chance makes sense in this context, but questions will continue about the strength of the guard spots. Those questions aren’t going away when Jon Runyan Jr. has failed to impress and Greg Van Roten remains a free agent.
John Harbaugh Prompted Shock Evan Neal Decision by Giants