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NY Post
New York Post
6 Aug 2023


NextImg:Matt Peart can make case to Giants as he steps in for  injured Evan Neal

An opportunity like this isn’t new for Matt Peart.

When right tackle Evan Neal exited the Giants’ training camp session Friday with a concussion, Peart slid into his spot with the first unit.

It’s not much different from 2021, when Peart took the place of right tackle Nate Solder and left tackle Andrew Thomas at various times, or at any point throughout his career when he clawed toward a consistent starting role that always remained elusive.

This year, and this chance, might have different stakes. The 26-year-old Peart’s rookie contract will expire at the end of this season.

Peart hasn’t converted fill-in opportunities into regular snaps.

He also had to deal with an ACL tear in 2021, with a recovery that stretched into 2022.

His snap totals dipped from 421 in 2021 to 117 last year (fewer than even his rookie campaign in 2020), but when asked Saturday if he views this season as his one final chance before free agency becomes his new reality, Peart didn’t hint at any lingering doubt.

Matt Peart is stepping in for the injured Evan Neal as he enters the final year of his rookie contract with the Giants.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

“Coming into this year, just having the mentality of always getting better,” said Peart, who was selected by the Giants in the third round of the 2020 draft. “Year four, year three, year two, year one, it’s always the same. Make sure I always put my best foot forward and showcase my skillset and what I’m able to do on the field.”

Neal could return at any point, though head coach Brian Daboll said the team will be cautious with the seventh-overall pick from 2022.

But Peart said that he wants to “capitalize on those opportunities” to play with the first unit, where he has been tasked in camp with protecting quarterback Daniel Jones against the Giants’ top pass-rushers.

“Matt’s done a good job this camp,” Daboll said. “Moved him around. You’ll see him in the with the 1s [Saturday] over at the right tackle. … He’s done a good job for us to this point.”

When the Giants drafted him in 2020, Peart’s ability to play on both sides of the offensive line — a defining trait in college at Connecticut — carried over. Peart has tried to keep everything as simple as possible, he said, but it takes time to perfect flipping the feet.

He needed to “fine-tune and refine” the different mindsets for right and left tackle.

“I just try to keep it as simple as possible and just try to make sure whenever my number is called, I’m ready for whatever side,” Peart said.

In October 2021, when filling in at left tackle after Thomas suffered an ankle injury, Peart said at the time that he wanted any transition to seem seamless — both on the left side, where Thomas had become entrenched as the starter, and across the entire offensive line.

Evan Neal

Regular starting right tackle Evan Neal is out with a concussion.
Noah K. Murray-NY Post

Later in the season, Peart filled in for Solder on the right side when the tackle went on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

There wasn’t much, in terms of playoff hopes and standings movement, on the line against the Eagles with Jake Fromm starting at quarterback. During that game, though, Peart tore his ACL.

That altered his entire offseason.

He remained sidelined into 2022, starting the campaign on the physically unable to perform list. Peart focused on “making sure that I was able to do better than the last day” when recovering, and eventually, that allowed him to return and appear in nine games without any starts.

But this offseason, with the ACL healed, Peart had another chance to develop under offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, whom Peart called a “stickler” for details.

When Peart filled in for Neal on Friday, Johnson’s feedback revolved around the specific footwork needed for specific plays.

But if Peart had any concern about the Giants solidifying their offensive line without him as a starter again, or any doubts about where he fit into their long-term blueprint, Peart kept those thoughts to himself. He wanted to keep stacking “good plays” and not good days. Eventually, the individual reps would start to stand out by the end of sessions.

And that meant Friday and Saturday, according to Peart’s personal outlook, were just the latest step.

“I take every rep as if it’s the defining rep,” Peart said. “I feel like being able to play with the 1s is a great opportunity, but if I’m with the 2s or 3s, I make sure that every rep that I get, I make sure I showcase my skills and put my best foot forward all the time.”