The Wild Evan Neal Trade Rumor That’s Got Giants Fans in Stitches
Posted October 5, 2025
It's the reasoning, for me.
When the going gets tough, the tough get... New York Giants draft bust Evan Neal. At least, that’s what the Minnesota Vikings might be thinking.
For those who don’t know, the Vikings’ offensive line is struggling this year. The hodgepodge group has been decimated by injuries and inconsistency, so much so that Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes the only way they stay competitive is to pick up the phone and call the G‑Men.
The thought is Minnesota’s offensive line is so banged up, and they’re still fringe contenders, that in order to save their season from epic collapse, the best possible trade is to target the 6-foot-7, 340-pound mountain of a lineman. Essentially, the Vikings take a flier on a once-upon-a-time top-10 pick for a seventh-round pick, while the Giants pull the plug on the Evan Neal experience while recouping a draft asset, regardless of how middling it might be.
Giants could offload Evan Neal in bizarre trade scenario with Vikings
Kay believes there's a win-win trade for both New York and Minnesota. Kay suggested:
"He [Neal] was relegated to backup guard work this season despite making 27 starts since the G-Men drafted him at No. 7 overall in 2022. He's most experienced at the tackle positions and could slot in to replace [Brian] O'Neill immediately, becoming the latest reclamation project in the Twin Cities under head coach Kevin O'Connell.
The proposed trade is the most bizarre for a lot of reasons, but none wackier than the idea that Evan Neal is the one player who will put the Vikings over the top and into contention. What has Kay seen over the past three-plus years that everyone else hasn’t?
The 25-year-old hasn’t sniffed a snap in 2025, after failing to move from right tackle to the interior, making his inclusion in Kay’s analysis... interesting, to say the least.
The proposal isn’t without its merits. As previously stated, O’Neill will be out for some time, and Kelly was just moved to IR due to concussion concerns. At 2-2, Minnesota’s season is far from over. So if head coach Kevin O’Connell can squeeze every last drop of potential out of Neal, then giving up a late Day 3 pick for the draft bust would be a smart move.
For New York, general manager Joe Schoen has already declined Neal’s fifth-year option. He’s long gone once this season is over. Why not at least get something for him, even if the return is horrifically underwhelming for a once-heralded draft pick?
Listen, it’s a wild trade. The idea that the 25-year-old is the missing piece to a championship push is crazy. Through three-plus seasons, he’s shown anything but. Maybe they follow through, and it somehow works out. At least Schoen and Co. would get something in return.
Jalen Hurts poses dual-threat problem for Broncos defense
Saquon Barkley is a problem enough for the Denver Broncos defense.
But when you throw in Jalen Hurts as a dual-threat quarterback, that makes the Philadelphia Eagles offense that much tougher to defend. Hurts is capable of beating defenses with his arm or his legs. Yes, the Eagles are experiencing some drama with their receivers at the moment, and A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been underutilized in a bizarre way. But it’s all just a matter of one game.
All that matters is that Philadelphia wins games. The Eagles are now 20-1 in their last 21 games and 18-0 in their last 18 games started and finished by Hurts.
Now the Broncos will need to find a way to contain Hurts and that dual-threat ability today.
“How we rush this guy is obviously key,” Broncos defense coordinator Vance Joseph said to the media this week. “If everyone’s covered and you have irresponsible rush lanes, (Hurts) will take off and gain the first down, and you’ll never see third-and-long or second-and-long ever. If you don’t contain the quarterback, I think he’s an accurate passer, but when he pulls the ball down, if everyone’s back is turned, he can make a big play on it.
“How we rush him is important. How we stop Saquon is important. They have a lot of weapons that we have to account for, but the quarterback is obviously the main guy. That’s where it starts.”
One of the best ways for the Broncos to slow down Hurts and the Eagles’ offense is to control the ball and time of possession. That starts with a consistent and effective running game.
If J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey get going, that spells success for Denver. It starts by achieving success in the running game early.
“I think that’s just a constant in football,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said to the media this week. “When you’re able to run the ball efficiently, it helps everything. I know when you’re calling plays and the run game’s effective, it feels a lot easier than when it’s not. I think both of our runners are averaging over five (yards) a carry, and it’s something that we have confidence in and we’ll lean on going forward for sure.”
Lombardi added that splitting series is how the Broncos envisioned using Dobbins and Harvey based on their differing skill sets as runners.
“They’re really good runners, they’re both effective as pass catchers, both effective as blockers,“ Lombardi said. ”I think getting RJ, making sure that we’re confident that he has the protections down, not physically, but just mentally. He came along quickly with that. I think it’s something we feel good about going forward.”
How successful Denver is in running the ball today will go a long way in helping the defense at least slow down Hurts and the high-flying capability of the Eagles offense.
But as Hurts and Philly have shown, they don’t need much to be dangerous.
