Ereck Flowers hoping to be ready for first preseason game

It seems like some kind of right of passage for a New York Giants first-round draft pick to be injured and missing practice time at some point during his first offseason. Last year, it was Odell Beckham Jr. who missed most of the offseason, and now 2015 first-round offensive tackle Ereck Flowers has been absent from practice with a hip pointer.

The Giants had been using Flowers with both the first and second-team offenses at left tackle in an effort to get him as many repetitions as possible to prepare him for life as a left tackle in the NFL. Before practice, Flowers told reporters that he was improving and that he expected to be ready to go again soon. 

“I’ve never been hurt,” Flowers told reporters, per Giants.com. “One time, I came back in a week and a half after surgery. I usually heal pretty fast and do pretty well, so I’ll definitely be out there really soon.”

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin echoed Flowers' optimism.

"He's much improved," Coughlin said of Flowers, per ESPN. "Whether they let him go (Thursday), I don't know. But he is much improved."

If Flowers can get back in time for Thursday's practice, this is great news for the Giants. In their first padded practice on Wednesday, the makeshift offensive line missing Flowers and Weston Richburg was a disaster. Flowers' return is necessary.


(foxsports.com)