Giants franchise left sort out Andrew Thomas returned to follow on Tuesday however couldn’t decide to taking part in within the workforce’s season opener at Washington on Sept. 7.
“I’m just going one day at a time. I can’t really predict that right now,” Thomas, 26, stated after passing his bodily and being activated off the bodily unable to carry out listing. “I simply see the progress I’ve made the previous couple of weeks. I don’t know the place we’ll find yourself, however I’m doing all the pieces I can do to be again.
“I feel like when I’m healthy I’m one of the best,” he added later. “But the best ability is availability. So I’m trying my best to be there for my teammates and myself.”
This was the primary time in his rehabilitation from an Oct. 2024 surgical procedure for a Lisfranc damage that Thomas has subjected his foot to the burden he’ll have to soak up whereas anchoring and blocking in an actual recreation.
“I would say today was that first opportunity doing individual, actually hitting somebody who’s 300 pounds, working on double teams,” the Giants’ greatest offensive lineman stated. “I haven’t taken a full sped game rep, which is hard to replicate. But that was progress today, and we’ll see how it goes.”
If Thomas isn’t prepared in Week 1, the Giants are anticipated to begin free agent signing James Hudson III in his place.
Rookie fifth-round choose Marcus Mbow has had a great camp and has cross-trained extra lately on each the left and proper sides, however offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo indicated on Tuesday that Mbow is a younger participant who continues to be studying.
Thomas’ absence has been crippling for the Giants in recent times.
He has performed in 16 of a doable 34 video games the previous two seasons since signing a five-year, $117.5 million contract extension with the workforce in July 2023. The Giants have a 6-10 (.375) report with him and a 3-15 (.166) mark with out him throughout that span.
The workforce has rushed Thomas again to the sphere earlier than and discovered their lesson the laborious manner. He performed in solely 10 video games in 2023 attributable to an early season hamstring damage that he aggravated by returning to follow too early.
That was on high of left ankle points that required two surgical procedures early in his profession earlier than medical doctors fully cleaned up his points on that foot.
So this 12 months Thomas stated he and the medical doctors created a “rough draft” of when he would return with the understanding that his timeline can be “fluid” relying on how his physique responded.
That explains why Thomas was positioned on the PUP listing initially of camp, 9 months after his surgical procedure, though he had been projected to return to the sphere earlier.
Thomas was optimistic, at the very least, that his physique is responding higher to his rehab work lately.
“A few months ago, when I would go through a rehab day, it would be sore continuously, two or three days after,” he stated of his foot. “The factor that’s encouraging is I’ve been doing extra every day, and I get well rather a lot higher. In order that’s a great signal.
“There’s obviously some soreness you’ll deal with,” he defined. “Speaking to the surgeons, they’ll say with this type of injury that’s just something you’ll have to deal with, especially the first year. Just trying to work through it.”
He stated he and the Giants haven’t mentioned but the specifics of what number of follow reps his physique would must be ready for recreation play.
“We haven’t discussed that just yet. Just a day at a time,” he stated.
However they’ll need to get to that step first with out setbacks, then proceed well on a straight line so as to get again to recreation motion.
Will that be in time for Week 1 at Washington? Presumably. However there’s no assure.
“For an offensive lineman, muscle memory is a real thing,” Thomas stated. “However you’re at all times making an attempt to get higher, and there’s nothing like a full pace rep in follow, preseason no matter it’s. That’s one thing that’s laborious to imitate. But when I concentrate on that and never essentially my foot getting wholesome – getting reps and I’m not myself – it received’t assist the workforce. So I’m doing my greatest to get again 100%.
“This is my first time experiencing this in training camp,” he added. “I don’t know exactly how I’ll respond to that. But I’m trying to take as many mental reps as I can. There’s nothing that can replicate a full speed rep, full speed bull rush. But if my body’s healthy, I can react and be able to play.”
BROWN: GIANTS NOT TRADING WINSTON
Assistant GM Brandon Brown shut the door on the Giants buying and selling third-string quarterback Jameis Winston regardless of his restricted snaps and alternatives on the sphere. “Appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant,” Brown stated in his preseason press convention Tuesday. “With the way that he’s gone about his business from day one, he’s made it very intentional with the fact that he wants to be here, and he wants to be here for the long haul. Teammates love him [and] his preparation process — whether it’s the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible study, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together, not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole.” … The Giants held their remaining padded preseason follow on Tuesday at their facility in East Rutherford. Thomas, high receiver Malik Nabers (again) and Cam Skattebo (hamstring) all have been again on the sphere in a restricted style. Thomas, Nabers and security Tyler Nubin (undisclosed) didn’t do workforce drills. Skattebo, the rookie operating again, did some 7-on-7 however seemed rusty. Banged-up corners Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins each labored on the aspect, as did linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. Broad receivers Dalen Cambre and Da’Quan Felton, and offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu, weren’t seen on the sphere in any respect. Security Raheem Layne left follow early and didn’t return. Tight finish Theo Johnson confirmed up late for an undisclosed purpose.
Initially Revealed: August 19, 2025 at 12:58 PM EDT
