Justin Pugh signed with the New York Giants practice squad two weeks ago, a reunion between the franchise and its first-round pick in 2013. New York bringing in the 33-year old Pugh, who spent his first five NFL seasons there, was necessary to address the team's offensive line depth. Pugh tore his ACL last season and played just five games for the Arizona Cardinals.
Pugh was out of the NFL before the Giants came calling due to the O-line injuries for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Not only did Pugh get pulled back into the league on short notice, he even started. Starting at left guard, Pugh made sure he let the nation know what he was doing before he signed with the Giants. Instead of mentioning his alma mater, he hilariously said he came "straight off the couch."
Pugh started at left guard, but had to move to left tackle after Joshua Ezeudu went down with a foot injury in the first quarter. Pugh practiced only at left guard since signing with the Giants, so he had to learn a new position on the fly.
Pugh did allow two sacks, but those were the only pressures on the night he allowed -- a win for a Giants offensive line that has mightily struggled.
"The pocket was calm. I mean, they obviously, those guys have done a great job," said Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor, via a team transcript. "When I say those guys, I'm speaking of Buffalo. They've done a great job of creating pressure all year, ranking high in sacks and just creating turnovers.
"I think the offensive line did a great job of battling today, regardless of who was out there. I know we had an injury with (offensive lineman Joshua) Ezeudu, hopefully he's okay and it's not serious. Those guys have done a great job of battling, play in and play out all day against a very good front. Hats off to them. They were a main reason why we were able to put ourselves in a position at the end to possibly win."
It will be interesting to see the Giants' next move with Pugh, who entered Sunday night thinking he'd give the team about 20 snaps and ended up playing every snap. It looks as though he'll be needed, at least until the offensive line gets much healthier.