Shane

Lemieux

Lemieux’s injury has not yet been disclosed. The Seahawks signed the former Saint on September 18th. He has logged zero offensive snaps since then. The team correspondingly signed S Maxen Hook to the practice squad. Hook previously signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent earlier this year.

Lemieux played in six games with the Saints last year, earning a 42.1 PFF pass-blocking grade and a 58.8 PFF run-blocking grade. He allowed 10 quarterback pressures in those appearances, tying for the second-most among Saints offensive linemen during that span. Lemieux is now on the Seahawks’ practice squad. It is unclear whether he will be called up to the active roster.

Lemieux appeared in seven games for the Saints last season while making four starts. The sixth-year vet has appeared in just 25 games since being drafted No. 150 overall by the Giants in 2020, and shouldn’t be considered a lock to make the roster this season. Per PFF, Lemieux played on 337 snaps at center last season, earning a blocking grade of 51.1.

Lemieux was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon. In four seasons with the Giants, he appeared in 18 regular season games with 12 starts at left guard. Last season, he played in four games for New York with one start at left guard, before suffering a season-ending biceps injury in October. He figures to battle for a back-up interior offensive line spot in New Orleans.

The hits keep on coming to the Giants’ offensive line, as Lemieux will presumably miss the remainder of the season with this injury. The fourth-year vet started one game at guard this season and has been in on 91 offensive snaps. Despite playing primarily as a backup, his value can’t be overstated for an offensive line that has already lost several key members. In a corresponding move to placing Lemieux on IR, the Giants signed OL Sean Harlow off the Cowboys’ practice squad.

Lemieux will be making his 2022 debut in Week 11 after he was injured in the Giants’ preseason opener. His return is a needed upgrade to an offensive line that will likely be without RT Evan Neal (doubtful, knee) for another week. Lemieux has rarely stayed healthy the last two seasons, missing 27 games to injuries.

Lemieux’s left foot has been booted up since the Giants’ preseason opener. It caps an injury-plagued summer for the Giants’ already fragile offensive line. “Sounds like all options are on table, including idea the starter might not be on roster yet,” Art Stapleton reported five days ago on who might take Lemieux’s left guard spot in the interim. Lemieux will be eligible for return in Week 5.

Lemieux hasn’t practiced since going down in the Giants’ preseason opener. The injury has been worse than initially thought, knocking Lemieux out of the preseason, and Daboll’s comments all but rule him out for Week 1. The Giants’ offensive line has been hit hard with injuries, with Lemieux, center Jon Feliciano, and backups Joshua Ezeudu and Nick Gates all missing time.

Lemieux will go for tests on Thursday morning. He is “hopeful” it’s not turf toe, but he very much left open the possibility it is turf toe. Slated to start on Daniel Jones’ left side, the 2020 fifth-rounder is trying to return from a knee injury that cost him nearly all of 2021. An already thin offensive line losing a starting blocker would be far from ideal for Jones and Saquon Barkley.

Lemieux had been attempting to play through a partially torn patellar tendon. He made it just 17 snaps into the G-Men’s Week 1 loss to the Broncos. In his absence, C Nick Gates will kick over to guard and trade acquisition Billy Price will man the pivot.