Peart buried on the bench
It is the question so many are asking, because on the surface, it does not seem to make much sense.
Why is Matt Peart, 24, buried on the bench and why does Nate Solder, 33, have a hold on the right tackle job in another losing season for the Giants? Does it not make sense to see what Peart can do, considering he probably fits into the future plans and Solder most likely does not?
“We’re pleased with the way Nate’s really progressed throughout this year and how he’s playing for us right now,’’ coach Joe Judge said Wednesday, “He’s a guy who comes out and works tirelessly. Matt’s doing a good job progressing in his career, as well. We look to involve him, as well.’’
Peart this season has started four games at left tackle, filling in when Andrew Thomas was out with foot and ankle injuries. With Thomas back on the field, Peart is resigned to getting a few snaps here and there as an extra blocking tight end. Clearly, the coaching staff trusts Solder more than Peart.
➤ WR Kadarius Toney (oblique/quad) worked with trainers, as he has done the past few weeks, and it seems unlikely he will make his return this weekend. WR Sterling Shepard, who has missed the past four games and five of the past six with a quad injury, was on the field stretching with his teammates at the start of practice. Shepard, though, was one of eight players who did not practice (an estimation by the Giants, as this was a walkthough). That group consisted of TE Kyle Rudolph, CB Adoree’ Jackson (quad), WR John Ross (illness), LB Trent Harris (ankle), FB Cullen Gillaspia (calf) and TE Kaden Smith (knee).
➤ QB Jake Fromm, signed off the Bills practice squad this week, was on the field, wearing No. 17. Fromm was a 2020 fifth-round pick of the Bills. He was inactive for all 19 regular-season and postseason games as a rookie. He was on the practice squad this season. At Georgia, Fromm went 35-7 as a starter. He threw 78 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions.
Quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski will spend extra time with Fromm this week. It is no coincidence Fromm was signed Tuesday, the day it was revealed Daniel Jones has a strained neck.
“When you first get any kind of flag on any player, you kind of look on down,’’ Judge said. “If it’s a receiver, if it’s a corner, if it’s a linebacker, you immediately say, ‘OK, what kind of insurance do we need for the game right now?’ Then obviously, it was an opportunity for us to add a player that we liked coming out of college through the draft.’’
➤ Judge was walking around the team facility wearing a blue cap with a red “M’’ for the University of Mississippi, a clear indication Judge, a Mississippi State grad, lost a bet. He makes a wager every year with tight end Evan Engram — an Ole Miss grad. Ole Miss beat Mississippi State last week, 31-21, in the annual Egg Bowl.
“Had we pulled it out, [Engram] would be standing back here ringing a bell,’’ Judge said. “What do I say? A bet’s a bet.’’