March 12, 2026, 9:02 a.m. ET

When it was announced on Wednesday that the New York Giants were bringing back 2022 draft bust Evan Neal on a one-year deal, Giants Nation was not only perplexed, they were forewarned.

This new regime, led by head coach John Harbaugh, is going to make a lot of “out-of-the-box” moves. In fact, that old box has been blown up. Welcome to the new box.

But the decision to keep Neal, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, who looked clueless more often than not on the field, is a head-scratcher. Neal just didn’t cut it, and not even a Harbaugh can likely salvage him. But that doesn’t mean Harbaugh won’t try.

Harbaugh said that he believes in “clean slates” as he takes on his new assignment with the Giants. It has been reported that he is even looking forward to working with Neal, who needs a clean slate more than any Giant in recent memory.

That leads us to believe that Harbaugh has no regard for the coaches who went before him, even though they did everything they could to make something out of Neal. He must see something they didn’t.

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There’s no word on how the Giants plan on using Neal and where he stands when it comes to making the final roster. One thing we do know is that Harbaugh sees a 25-year-old, 6-foot-7, 340-pound young man who possibly can rekindle a once-promising career.

How that will play out is where followers of this team are getting lost. Neal washed out as a tackle and was switched to guard last year. He could not outplay 35-year-old Greg Van Roten and watched every game from the sidelines.

Van Roten, who was in attendance for Harbaugh’s introductory press conference, is a free agent again and is awaiting the Giants’ call. He is the only Giant to play every offensive snap the past two seasons. If Neal busts again, GVR could be summoned off his couch again — assuming he’s not signed beforehand.

But, as stated, the Giants’ tastes and goals have changed. Neal was such a public bust that it stuck in general manager Joe Schoen’s craw. Perhaps he convinced Harbaugh into taking Neal on as one final chance to prove he wasn’t wrong on draft night back in 2022.

It’s a low-risk move, no matter what. If the Giants can make something of Neal, power to them. If they can’t, they move on. Let’s not make too much of this.