The New York Giants appeared to limit their offensive line rotation in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, with Andrew Thomas, Nick Gates, Kevin Zeitler and Cam Fleming taking 100 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
The only pair that actually split time were guards Will Hernandez and rookie Shane Lemieux.
Given how well he had played in recent weeks, it was curious not to see rookie Matt Peart on the field, especially at right tackle where Fleming has struggled at times. But as it turns out, it was not a demotion.
While conducting a conference call with reporters on Monday afternoon, head coach Joe Judge said Peart was forced to sit out due to an ailment unrelated to COVID-19.
“We had a plan for Matt in place. He had an ailment that popped up last minute,” Judge said. “It had nothing to do with his performance as of late. It had nothing to do with eliminating the rotation. He should be fine to go next week. We just wanted to make sure we kind of kept status quo with Cam (Fleming) and Andrew (Thomas) unless we absolutely needed him.”
Although Peart still needs to round his pass protection into shape, he’s been the Giants’ best run blocker this season, earning an 86.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Assuming all goes according to plan over the next several days, expect to see Peart back out there against the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday.
