Getty New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh with the team in 2016.
When New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll took the podium on Wednesday, October 18, he revealed that veteran offensive lineman Justin Pugh was being signed to the 53-man roster on a one-year deal.
Pugh and the G-Men were seemingly in a financial stand-off heading into Week 7. The Giants needed to get the blocker onto the active roster, but Pugh was due for a significant raise after proving he was worth more than a practice squad salary.
The Giants have signed Justin Pugh to the active roster and waived TE Lawrence Cager
Fortunately, they got it done. As a byproduct, the Giants waived 6-foot-5 tight end Lawrence Cager, who had 17 receiving yards on the season.
Justin Pugh Could Start at LT With Joshua Ezeudu Hitting IR
On October 17, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported that “Joshua Ezeudu (toe) was placed on [the] injured reserve.” That means he’ll miss four weeks, at minimum.
“He was playing left tackle with Andrew Thomas (hamstring) out since Week 1,” Raanan added. “So, Giants now down their top two LT options.”
The ESPN NYG insider also noted that Pugh “appears to be next in line” at the position. After all, the veteran switched to left tackle mid-game against the Buffalo Bills, performing fairly well.
Pro Football Focus credited Pugh with three quarterback pressures allowed (two sacks) in pass protection and a 63.4 run-blocking grade in Week 6. He was also charged with two penalties.
At first glance, that’s not a tremendous outing by any stretch, but it’s a dream compared to what the Giants had been dealing with in previous weeks.
Big Blue also brought back veteran swing tackle Tyre Phillips on October 17, poaching him off the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. Not long after, they signed Josh Miles from the Atlanta Falcons practice squad in a similar move — adding new depth at the position.
Giants Drop Down to 2 Tight Ends After Justin Pugh Signing
Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? In order to make room for Pugh and the OT depth above, the Giants dropped down to just two tight ends on the active roster.
Those players are Darren Waller and Daniel Bellinger.
The odd man out was Cager, who could theoretically return on a practice squad deal if he clears waivers.
Ironically, the Giants swiped Cager from the New York Jets a year ago to this day. After the crosstown rival attempted to sneak the hybrid tight end from their 53-man roster to their practice squad, the G-Men swooped in and Cager chose blue over green.
The former wide receiver had a nice campaign in 2022, accumulating a career-high 118 receiving yards with NYG. Unfortunately, that has not translated into 2023 so far.
Giants Insider Drops ‘Early Guess’ on NYG O-Line vs. Commanders
The Giants face-off against another challenging defensive front in Week 7 as the Washington Commanders come to town.
After the news that Pugh had signed, NorthJersey.com NYG insider Art Stapleton took an “early guess” at the Big Blue offensive line versus Washington.
Early guess at #NYGiants offensive line for Sunday against one of the best defensive fronts in the league if Evan Neal does not play
LT Justin Pugh
LG Mark Glowinski
C Ben Bredeson
RG Marcus McKethan
RT Tyre Phillips
It was Pugh at left tackle, Mark Glowinski at left guard, Ben Bredeson at center, Marcus McKethan at right guard and either Evan Neal or Phillips at right tackle. The latter would only play in the event that Neal was unable to suit up due to injury.
According to Daboll, several offensive linemen did not practice on October 18. They were: Thomas (hamstring), Neal (ankle), John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and Matt Peart (shoulder).