As the New York Giants enter the midseason, their chances of making it to the playoffs suddenly became endangered following the injury of left guard Justin Pugh. If he gets sidelined for the rest of the year, his absence could seriously hurt the Giants' offense.
Pugh suffered a sprained knee during the Giants' win over the Philadelphia Eagles on November 6. Since he wasn't able to return to the game, coach Ben McAdoo appointed Brett Jones as his temporary replacement.
As noted by Pugh, he is expected to enter rehab to repair his knee and will most likely miss a couple of weeks. Based on his current condition, he might be able to return after 3 to 4 weeks.
However, certain factors could prolong Pugh's recovery and if this happens or if his condition worsens, then the Giants might be forced to place him in injured reserve, potentially ending his season with the team early.
Aside from missing one player, Pugh's absence will also force the Giants to scramble to find a suitable replacement.
Although McAdoo commended Jones for playing well against the Giants, he also said that they will look into their options while Pugh is unavailable.
Luckily for the New York squad, they have quite a few choices if they don't want to stick with Jones. One possible option is moving Bobby Hart to the guard position.
Due to Marshall Newhouse's injury, Hart worked at being a guard as well as a right tackle during the preseason. But now that Newhouse is healthy again, Hart can now go back to focusing on being a guard.
Veteran tackle Will Beatty also gained experience in the guard post last year when he was trying to return from the PUP list.
Although rotating between Jones, Hart and Beatty will be a good move for the Giants, this will still depend on Pugh's recovery. If he fails to bounce back after a month, then the New York franchise should start consider bringing in a more permanent replacement through the free agency pool. Ideally, this person should have extensive experience taking on the starting role
