John Harbaugh didn't declare Andrew Thomas or Jermaine Eluemunor ready for Houston on Monday. He said both tackles, along with Darnell Mooney, were progressing and remained day to day, with a clearer picture expected Wednesday.
That's an encouraging direction, not a clearance. I'd have the Giants build their protection contingency now rather than wait for a quarterback announcement to decide how much help the edges need.
The latest update from Harbaugh doesn't establish that either tackle will miss Sunday's game. It also doesn't support treating both as fully available. A Tuesday projection has to leave room for the actual practice evidence that follows.
Thomas remains the listed left tackle, with J.C. Davis behind him. Marcus Mbow is listed behind Eluemunor on the right. Those are the current depth-chart assignments, not an announcement that either backup is about to start.
Having identifiable replacements is useful. Expecting a replacement to handle the same work without changing anything around him would be asking a lot, particularly while New York is also sorting out its quarterback preparation.
Archive field-entry photo, not a current injury photograph. Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) enters the field prior to the first quarter against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Harbaugh was still weighing Jameis Winston and J.J. McCarthy on Monday. Whoever gets the next start will need an offense built around the available blockers, not an assumption that a more mobile quarterback makes the protection discussion disappear.
I would prepare extra edge help and a quicker outlet package if either tackle is limited. That can mean keeping a tight end involved in protection or reducing the number of slow-developing calls in a vulnerable stretch. It's a contingency recommendation, not a claim about a new scheme the coaches have installed.
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There is a cost. Keeping another eligible receiver in to help means fewer immediate options downfield, and too much caution can let a defense crowd the shorter routes. If Thomas and Eluemunor are cleared and moving normally, the Giants shouldn't voluntarily strip useful routes out of their offense.
Wednesday will tell them more than another round of guesses about who gives them the better chance at quarterback. The coaches can prepare for a limited tackle without declaring him out, then scale the protection plan to what the medical and practice assessments actually support.
For now, neither a two-tackle crisis nor an all-clear is established. The next useful information will come from the practice field, where the Giants need to find out how much of their normal offense those two edges can support.
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