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Second-year offensive lineman Bobby Hart has yet to take any significant first-team reps at right tackle in training camp. Nor did he take any during spring practices. Still, coach Ben McAdoo said Tuesday that the job is “there” for Hart if he can grab it.
“No question Bobby’s going to have an opportunity to start,” McAdoo said. “He’s just gotta win the job, it’s there for him.”
That echoes the sentiment expressed on Sunday by general manager Jerry Reese, who said the 2015 seventh-round pick is “in a battle” with much-maligned incumbent Marshall Newhouse.
The remarks from Reese and McAdoo will encourage a fan base apoplectic at the thought of Newhouse again starting 16 games. They are curious, though, since Hart has yet to get first-team snaps. In a true competition, you would think reps would be shared. Perhaps the comments are meant to motivate Hart, or at least to send him a signal that the Giants are looking for him to challenge Newhouse.
The Giants have flirted with several veteran tackles in the free-agent market, and were most recently rebuffed by Eugene Monroe when he decided to retire. The possibility remains that the team’s starting right tackle is a player not yet on the roster.