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Five players were listed on the New York Giants‘ final injury report heading into a crucial Week 5 divisional bout with the Dallas Cowboys — four of them have been ruled out. Big Blue will once again be without the services of receivers Darius Slayton (hamstring) and Sterling Shepard (hamstring), as well as safety Jabrill Peppers (hamstring) and offensive lineman Ben Bredeson (hand) come Sunday.
Andrew Thomas, the fifth and final name to pop up on the injury report, has been officially dubbed questionable with a foot injury. However, as ESPN’s Jordan Raanan highlighted there is “reason to be concerned” regarding the availability of Big Blue’s rising offensive tackle. The 2020 fourth overall pick did manage to log back-to-back limited sessions to close out the practice week, but was still sporting a noticeable limp on Friday according to the Giants beat writer.
Raanan shared a video on Twitter the day prior showcasing Thomas’ slight hinge in his step, which can be seen below:
Thomas Headed for a Game-Time Decision?
That certainly seems to be the case. Asked by reporters on Friday if he believed he could “battle through” the pain, Thomas said had this to say, via the team’s official website:
“Right now, just focusing on everyday doing what the trainers ask me. We’ll see how it feels on Sunday, but right now just trying to treat it. … We’ll see what happens on Sunday.” Thomas added that he is “sore” but doing everything the trainers are asking of him. “[We’re] taking care of it, doing a lot of treatment, trying to get it ready,” he noted.
As for Joe Judge, the Giants head coach was a bit less descriptive on the status of his starting left tackle. “He went through practice with us [on Thursday],” Judge said of Thomas. “I think everyone at this point in the season is dealing with some kind of nick or bump. We’ll see where he is coming out of today. But yeah, he was practicing with us yesterday.”
Thomas’ injury happens to be to the same foot he had surgery on following the completion of his rookie campaign. Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reported back in January that Thomas had the procedure to correct a lingering ankle issue dating back to his Georgia days.
Sources told The Post that Thomas had ankle surgery to correct an issue that was known when he entered the league and had nagged him since training camp. He waited to get it fixed without fear of doing further damage.
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Should Thomas Sit…
In the event Thomas can’t give it a go vs. Dallas, 2020 third-round pick Matt Peart would likely be called upon to pick up the slack at offensive tackle. However, while the “second-string” left tackle on Big Blue’s depth chart did rotate with Thomas and Nate Solder during practice, the belief is that the latter would actually be called upon to man Thomas’ position in the event he’s ruled out. In return, Peart would step into the right tackle slot, the position many expected him to lock down during training camp before being edged out by Solder for the starting gig.
Thomas, who has started 14 consecutive games for the Giants, has been a revelation in the early parts of 2021. After an up-and-down rookie showing, the 22-year-old has been an anchor on the left side of New York’s offensive line. Over the first four weeks of play, Thomas has logged 167-pass block snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Over those snaps, he’s allowed zero sacks and just one quarterback hit. His 79.0 pass-block grade ranks eighth amongst all starting offensive tackles and first among second-year tackles. For reference, he finished 2020 with a pass-block grade of just 55.4.
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