Possible Shane Lemieux knee injury puts Giants’ O-line in flux

The cart came out to get Shane Lemieux and the Giants’ starting left guard was driven off the practice field Thursday.

The cart came out to get Shane Lemieux and the Giants’ starting left guard was driven off the practice field Thursday.

It is a knee issue for Lemieux, and he was undergoing further evaluation to determine the extent of the damage.

Just like that, the youth movement the Giants are going with on their offensive line could be in flux. Lemieux, 24, started the final nine games as a rookie last season, earning high marks from the coaching staff for his toughness and ability to block in the running game. The metrics on him as a pass blocker were poor, but the Giants felt strongly enough about Lemieux’s potential that Will Hernandez was moved to the right side to play right guard, opening up a permanent spot for Lemieux.

The Giants did not make any moves of great significance in the offseason to bolster their offensive line — they did not take an offensive lineman in the NFL Draft and they did not sign a starting-caliber player in free agency. They did sign Zach Fulton, 29, who has 90 NFL starts on his resume, and they also have Kenny Wiggins, 32, an eight-year veteran with 38 career starts. Wiggins was on the Giants’ practice squad late last season. There were additions as depth pieces.

Losing Lemieux would test the depth. He sat with his arms crossed, with no wraps or ice on his legs, as he was carted off the field on the second practice of training camp. He was replaced by Wiggins, who took the left guard spot with the starting unit for the next series of drills.

Lemieux is a fifth-round draft pick out of Oregon.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Paul Schwartz

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