Taylor Lewan practiced Thursday, but the offensive tackle did not participate in team drills, according to Terry McCormick of titaninsider.com. Lewan said he would return to practicing fully once his contract is done.
Kevin Pamphile filled in for Lewan on the first team, with Dennis Kelly at right tackle.
Lewan is scheduled to play on a fifth-year option worth $9.341 million, but talks are progressing on a long-term deal. He could pass Nate Solder as the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman, with Solder getting a four-year, $62 million deal with $35 million guaranteed from the Giants as a free agent.
“There were a lot of things going through my head,” Lewan said about his decision to report. “This is the first time I’ve got through [this]. I’m 27 years old. I love this team, and I love the guys on this team. This franchise has been really good to me. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is my family, having a baby, having a wife, and looking out for their best interest.
”. . . I really didn’t know [whether he was going to show up]. It was going to be more of a game-time decision for me. I thought it would be in my best interest as a player, more than anything else, to come out here and be able to get those individual drills and sharpen those skills because this is the first year of the offense.”
Lewan returned to the team after skipping the team’s mandatory minicamp in an effort to speed up the pace of contract talks.
“I don’t want to downplay anything, because this is the NFL and you need to sharpen your skills,” Lewan said. “We’re talking about three days in June. We’re in late July now, August. This is an extremely important time. Obviously camp is a grind. I’ve said before it’s awesome to be here, but it’s still camp, so it’s not too awesome to be here.”