The New York Giants suffered another blow to their offensive line on Wednesday. Starting offensive guard Shane Lemieux underwent surgery to repair his patellar tendon. He will now miss the rest of the 2021 season.
Lemieux tried to play through the injury, but to no avail. He started in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, but played just 17 snaps. Back in July, he was carted off the field during a training camp session. Head coach Joe Judge believed that Lemieux had avoided a “worst-case scenario” and it looked like he was right at first. Unfortunately, he was unable to play through the injury.
What was hoped to be a short-term shuffle along the offensive front wasn’t helped by Nick Gates‘ injury. In Week 2, New York inserted Billy Price at center while Gates replaced Lemieux at guard, but Gates suffered a season-ending lower leg fracture. It now looks like Price will stay at center while Ben Bredeson plays guard.
Lemieux was originally drafted by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He played in 12 games with nine starts during his rookie season. The Giants’ new-look offensive line will debut this Sunday, as the Giants play host to the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.
