Report: Giants will activate, start Shane Lemieux vs. Lions

The New York Giants intend to activate guard Shane Lemieux from injured reserve prior to Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline. He is also expected to start in place of rookie Joshua Ezeudu, who is dealing with a neck injury.

Lemieux has missed the team’s first nine game after undergoing surgery to repair an injured toe during the preseason.

Lemieux also missed most of the 2021 season due to a partially torn patellar tendon, and has taken just 17 offensive snaps since 2020.

“It’s been a hard couple years,” Lemieux said this week, via the New York Post. “I’m a ballplayer. I love football. Being on the field is the best feeling in the world. When you get taken away from the game, you realize how important it is to you. I’m ready to get back out there, for sure.”

When Lemieux takes the field on Sunday, he will do so 15 pounds heavier than when he last played. He shot up from 295 to 310, which is where he intends to stay this season.

“I’m naturally a skinny guy,” Lemieux said. “Anything I could to keep my weight up. I needed all the extra calories I could get.”

Lemieux also expects to be a smarter player when he returns to the field against the Detroit Lions.

“I’m just more confident,” he said. “All the time on IR, I’ve game-planned like I’m playing the game. That’s really just mentally put me in a spot where I’m more mature and have a better football IQ than I did my rookie year.”

In addition to Ezeudu, who is questionable, rookie right tackle Evan Neal (knee) has been ruled out in Week 11.

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Story originally appeared on Giants Wire