The New York Giants drafted Ereck Flowers as their tackle of the future and it looks like the future is now for Big Blue, as starting LT Will Beatty had surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and will miss at least six months and that could push Flowers and Justin Pugh into the starting tackle positions as OTAs start and this comes as Landon Collins has received praise from the coaching staff.
The Giants were set to have Beatty as the starting left tackle, but now he could miss the majority of the season after suffering an injury. According to NFL.com, Beatty tore his pectoral muscle while working out lifting weights and he had successful surgery this week. The report says that the recovery time is five to six months, but as Dan Graziano at ESPN.com points out, Beatty could miss more time than that if he has any hitches in his rehab.
Graziano writes that with the six month recovery time, Beatty will be out for "at least half the season" and that a November return could be "realistic" for Beatty. Beatty has started 46 straight games for the Giants and he was able to come back last year after dealing with a broken leg at the end of 2013. Now with Beatty out, the offensive line is in flux, even with the addition of Flowers.
Graziano adds that this is a major issue for the Giants on the offensive line, as the team doesn't have an "obvious replacement" on the roster. The plan for Flowers this offseason was likely to make him right tackle instead of the more demanding left tackle position (which he projects for in the future with more development), which would allow Justin Pugh to move from RT to guard, as he is more comfortable on the inside of the line.
Pugh now could be forced into the left tackle position so that Flowers is not throwing to the fire right away as a rookie. Jake Long is available in free agency, but Graziano writes that it could be a bit late to find a replacement that way, as the team has not shown any interest in Long. Beatty previously signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract and now his future could be up in the air depending on how long it takes him to return.
Collins was considered to be one of the best safeties in the draft this year and according to him, he was the best safety and now he has the chance to start for the Giants. The team has Nat Berhe and now much else on the roster after Antrel Rolle left and that gives Collins the chance to step up. Collins has been called mostly a "box safety by scouts, but he said that he is more than that and that he has no problem playing either safety position for the Giants.
Collins went to Alabama and fit well into that system for Kirby Smart and now he could be the starter for new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in New York. Collins should be penciled in as the main safety starter this offseason.
