Tag: Justin Pugh

WATCH: Saquon Barkley says he was drug tested after hurdling Jaguars defender

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley admits he received a drug test after hurdling Jaguars defender in Eagles win

Saquon Barkley has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.

Barkley’s latest honor comes after he logged  27 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown in a win over Jacksonville. He also had three receptions for 40 yards and a score as Philadelphia continued their hot streak on offense.

Barkley’s most impressive play of the season may have been this short pass from Jalen Hurts that the Philadelphia running back turned into a dazzling gain. The most important aspect of the catch-and-run was Barkley pulling off a 180-degree backward hurdle over a Jaguars defender for a first down.

Barkley had 199 yards from scrimmage on Sunday and has 1,071 yards this year — the most ever by an Eagles player through the first eight games of the season in franchise history.

The play has gone viral, and during a sit-down with AJ Greene and Justin Pugh for Whistle’s Air It Out show, Barkley admitted the NFL administered a drug test following his viral moment.

Whistle is owned by DAZN, the global sports streaming service that offers live and on-demand sports coverage in over 200 countries.

You can see Barkley’s interview and more in the clip below.

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Ex-Giants OL Justin Pugh drawing NFL interest

Former New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh is generating some free agent interest as he looks to continue his NFL career.

Former New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh remains unsigned as the start of the NFL regular season nears. The veteran was with Big Blue last year, signing to the practice squad in early October before being elevated to the active roster shortly after that.

He came “straight off the couch.”

Pugh played in 12 games for the Giants last season and still believes he has something left in the tank following his 10th season in 2023.

Recently, Pugh posted a video of him doing blocking drills — kind of — at the beach, and shortly after that received a call from his agent.

“Straight off the beach?”

Pugh was serviceable for a very decimated Giants offensive line last year and certainly brings a veteran presence to a locker room.

Pugh was, of course, drafted by the Giants in 2013 and spent the first five years of his career there before playing for the Arizona Cardinals for the following four years.

As the season starts and injuries happen, Pugh could find himself on an NFL roster before long. Teams are always looking for veteran depth at the offensive line and he is staying ready to go when he gets the call.

Given their recent O-line issue, might the Giants be among the interested parties? That would certainly be Pugh’s preference.

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Justin Pugh open to Giants return

Veteran guard Justin Pugh says he’s not retired and would be open to a New York Giants return in 2024.

Veteran guard Justin Pugh has not retired from the game of football and would like to play again in 2024. However, there are only a select number of situations that could lure him back.

At the top of that list is a reunion with the New York Giants.

“I do still want to play,” Pugh said on The Zach Gelb Show. “I think for me, it comes down to a place I’m familiar with and a place I’m comfortable with. I’d probably would say that place is the New York Giants if I were to come back and play this season.”

A first-round pick of the Giants in the 2013 NFL draft, Pugh returned to the Giants last season after five years with the Arizona Cardinals. He came “right off the couch” and ended up starting along an injury-riddled offensive line.

Pugh is also open to a reunion with the Cardinals but would admittedly prefer the Giants.

“I wouldn’t be against that reunion as well,” Pugh said, “but the New York Giants are really the team I have circled on my shortlist.”

Specifically, Pugh noted, that he’d like to play left guard for whatever team he ends up with, leaving open the possibility that a playoff contender may need him down the line.

Whether or not the Giants have called Pugh or are interested in his return is unclear, but they have recently worked out some free agent guards so a potential Pugh reunion is something worth keeping an eye on.

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67 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

Guard Justin Pugh was the Cardinals’ most recent impactful No. 67.

We have reached Wednesday of a holiday week in the NFL offseason and are a day closer to start of the 2024 regular season. In 67 days, the Arizona Cardinals will take the field at Highmark Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 1.

The Cardinals’ current No. 67 is offensive lineman Austen Pleasants, a player with two career NFL games and 10 career offensive snaps.

He doesn’t figure to make the team but is on the roster to compete and practice. He has a shot but he has not been an impact player for the Cardinals. He has not played for them.

The last No. 67 to make an impact was the team’s last No. 67 — offensive lineman Justin Pugh.

Pugh played five seasons for the Cardinals from 2018-2022. He started at right guard in 2018, moved to his most natural position at left guard and even filled in once at right tackle.

He started a total of 56 games for Arizona. When he played and was healthy, he was arguably the best and most consistent player on the line.

He came off the streets to play 12 games last year for the New York Giants, the team that originally drafted him in the first round in 2013.

We will be back for more counting down tomorrow.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Justin Pugh: Giants’ Daniel Jones has a chance to prove he’s ‘that guy’ in 2024

Justin Pugh believes New York Giants QB Daniel Jones has a chance to prove he’s “that guy” in 2024 thanks to an improved roster.

One of the key questions heading into the 2024 season for the New York Giants is whether or not Daniel Jones can finally prove that he is “their guy” at quarterback.

The six-year veteran had a rocky first five seasons with Big Blue, riddled with injuries and marred by inconsistency. This offseason, he’s concentrating on rehabbing the torn ACL that ended his season after eight games in 2023.

Veteran offensive lineman Justin Pugh, a former Giants first-round pick who returned to the team “straight off the couch” last year to start 12 games, believes Jones has a “chance to prove that he is the guy this year” for the Giants.

“Daniel didn’t play as well as he wanted to last year and he has to come back and fix those things,” Pugh said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week.

Pugh made the case for Jones based on common sense such as the massive four-year, $160 million deal the team inked Jones to last March, which he says is now looking good in comparison to contracts given to other quarterbacks around the league.

“They gave him a contract. He’s got a cap hit of $47 million next year. You’re telling me you’re not going to trot that guy out there and know whether he’s going to be, or not, the quarterback of the future?” Pugh said.

True. The Giants have a financial interest in Jones that they’d like to see pay off. But that didn’t prevent them from seeking his replacement in the draft in April to no avail.

“I think the Giants did the right thing. Everyone wanted them to go quarterback in the draft. I think it’s to continue to surround him with talent and see what he has,” Pugh said.

“They paid the man. This is a make-or-break year for Daniel Jones. And I love Daniel. I think he’s a great player. People in the media give him a tough time.”

They ended up selecting LSU stud wideout Malik Nabers in the first round and staying away from quarterbacks altogether. Nabers could be the Giants’ next great offensive superstar.

Pugh believes sticking with Jones will pay off after another season lost to injuries. This year will be pivotal to both Jones’ and the Giants’ future.

“I think he really has a chance to prove that he’s that guy this year. And if he doesn’t — for all my Giants fans out there and those NFL fans on the other side — he won’t have a job. He won’t be on the Giants next year,” Pugh said.

“That is the biggest motivator you can have. He’s fighting for his career right now because the Giants have an out after this year.”

Pugh, who is a free agent again and not likely to rejoin the Giants, appears to be just an interested party at this point. He’d like to see things work out for his former teammates.

“I’m looking forward to seeing to what he brings to the table. He’s locked in. He was throwing in OTAs. He’s not getting all the starter reps because he’s coming off the ACL but no brace. He’s out there slinging it,” he said. “So, I’m looking forward to that and looking forward to him having a target like Malik Nabers to throw the ball up to.”

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Giants’ interior offensive line was worse in 2023 than you realize

The New York Giants’ interior offensive line surrendered more sacks than the entire offensive line of 20 other NFL teams in 2023.

The New York Giants’ offensive line has been one of the league’s worst over the past decade and one of the main reasons they have sunk to the bottom of the NFL standings.

Many thought the team had taken care of the line by using major resources in the draft and in free agency in recent years but to little avail.

If anything, the line has gotten worse.

Last season, the Giants allowed 85 sacks, the second most in NFL history behind the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles (104) and 20 more than any other team allowed.

More specifically, their interior offensive line surrendered more sacks than the entire five-man unit of 20 NFL teams.

The Giants have an All-Pro left tackle in Andrew Thomas, but he missed seven games in the first half of the season due to a hamstring issue. Right tackle Evan Neal, another top-10 draft pick, was also hampered by injuries and has been largely inconsistent.

The Giants drafted a top center last year in John Michael Schmitz, but he injured his shoulder on a poorly executed version of the ‘tush push’ causing him to miss four games.

The Giants’ guards were also in flux. Ben Bredeson got the most playing time and injuries to others led them to pull veteran Justin Pugh “off the couch.”

The results showed as the Giants were clearly dominated in the offensive trenches last season. This year, they believe they’ve cauterized the wounds by signing veterans Jon Runyon Jr., and Jermaine Eluemunor to fill the guard roles.

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Justin Pugh defends Saquon Barkley: ‘No Giants fans can be mad’

Giants pending free-agent OL Justin Pugh says fans shouldn’t be mad at Saquon Barkley for going to the Eagles.

New York Giants free-agent offensive lineman Justin Pugh is telling Giant fans on social media to not blame running back Saquon Barkley for his departure to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley, who did not receive a contract offer from the Giants in free agency, agreed to a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the rival Eagles on Monday.

Pugh says it’s just business.

The Giants did not elect to use the franchise tag on Barkley this year as they did in 2023. Instead, they allowed him to test the market and the Eagles swooped in and bowled him over with a deal worth well more than the Giants were willing to offer.

Barkley, as stated in the X post by Pugh, did indeed give everything he had for Big Blue in his six seasons after being selected No. 2 overall out of Penn State in the 2018 NFL draft.

It remains good business for NFL teams to not “overpay” running backs who are on their second or third contracts. Many teams are opting for a “running back by committee” approach to their rushing attacks, a strategy that has worked in places such as Kansas City and previously, Philadelphia.

Pugh, who will be 34 in August, is not likely to be re-signed by the Giants after returning to the team last season and starting 12 games after New York suffered another unusually high spate of injuries along the offensive line.

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Justin Pugh wants to remain with Giants, thinks they should add an edge rusher

Justin Pugh would like to return to the New York Giants and believes they should focus on beefing up the defensive line this offseason.

Long before the New York Giants signed offensive lineman Justin Pugh this past season, the 2013 first-round pick was open about his desire to return to East Rutherford.

Pugh was waiting for the right opportunity after a season-ending knee injury concluded his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.

When the Giants called, Pugh looked to make the best of the opportunity in his second stint with the team.

Pugh prefers to remain with the Giants for the 2024 season but expects to have interest from other teams.

“Fortunately, I had some friends get hired elsewhere in the NFL this year,” Pugh told the New York Daily News. “My former coach Kliff Kingsbury and former offensive line coach [Bobby Johnson] are in Washington right now. Ben McAdoo, my former head coach, is in New England right now. The Cardinals are obviously in my backyard [living in Arizona].

“I love New York. I want to be back in New York. But if they have no ‘want’ to have me back on the team, I obviously can’t just wait around like I’m at the prom with no date. You want someone to dance with.”

Pugh has always had a love for the franchise, but it’s unclear if the Giants have a spot for him on the roster moving forward.

Whether he returns or not in 2024, one area Pugh believes the Giants must address is along the defensive edge.

“Getting a guy to pair with Dexter and Thibodeaux that is a closer, a certified threat. I would spend the most money on that position,” Pugh proclaimed. “Go get a guy that’s done it before at a high level. You look at Josh Allen, the defensive end from the Jaguars. I know he’s a free agent. I think you build from the D-line.

“If I was putting a priority on positions in the NFL, quarterback clearly is one, defensive line is two. And I would have eight of ’em. That’s how the Giants won all their Super Bowls. They had the best defensive line in football. That should be the top free agent priority for the Giants is to get another edge rusher. You need to have a guy that makes offenses lose sleep on Monday or Tuesday when you’re getting ready to play them.”

The Giants had depth on the defensive line when they won their last two Super Bowls. With Azeez Ojulari struggling to stay on the field, the Giants do have a need for another edge rusher to play opposite Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The Giants have plenty of work to do this offseason retooling a roster full of positions needing upgrades. It will be interesting to see both how much of a priority they make adding an edge rusher and if there is a fit to bring Pugh back.

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7 Giants who could be playing their last game in blue vs. Eagles

The Giants wrap up the 2023 regular season on Sunday against the Eagles and these 7 players could be wearing blue for the final time.

This Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles will be the New York Giants’ 2023 season finale.

It will also be the final time many of the players on the current roster will wear the vaunted red, white, and blue of the Giants.

Here are seven players who could be playing their last game for the Giants this Sunday.

Giants injury report: 7 players limited in practice

The New York Giants listed seven players as limited in practice on Thursday and 13 on the total report.

The New York Giants returned to the field on Thursday for their first full practice ahead of a Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams — one day removed from a walkthrough.

The injury report was lengthy to open the week and that trend continued 24 hours later.

While everyone practiced on at least a limited basis, several key players remained limited — seven in total with 13 players listed on the official injury report.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: N/A

Limited participant: CB Detone Banks (shoulder), TE Lawrence Cager (groin), NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DT A’Shawn Robinson (back), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee) P Jamie Gillan (groin/knee), OL Justin Pugh (elbow)

Full participant: RB Saquon Barkley (elbow), OL Ben Bredeson (quad), CB Adoree’ Jackson (ankle), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (quad), OL John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), TE Darren Waller (knee)

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