New York Giants left tackle Will Beatty had successful surgery after tearing his pectoral muscle while lifting weights during the team's offseason conditioning program Tuesday, the team announced.
Beatty's recovery is estimated at five to six months, which means he's likely to miss at least the first half of the 2015 season.
Beatty has started 46 games in a row for the Giants dating to 2012. He broke his leg in the final game of the 2013 season but recovered and started all 16 games in 2014. Heading into his seventh NFL season, he was projected to be the one sure thing on the Giants' offensive line in terms of a player set at a specific position.
Now, the Giants will scramble to fill the void. Justin Pugh, who has been the starting right tackle for the past two years, could be a candidate to move to the left side, though the Giants spent much of this offseason trying to figure out a way to move Pugh inside to guard.
They selected Miami tackle Ereck Flowers with the No. 9 overall pick in the draft three weeks ago because they believe he has left tackle potential, but Flowers is seen as a raw prospect who needs significant development, and the Giants weren't even sure yet whether he'd be able to play right tackle immediately, let alone left tackle.
Marshall Newhouse was the tackle the Giants signed in free agency, and guards John Jerry and Geoff Schwartz both have experience at tackle. None of those would be ideal solutions, so the Giants' best hope is that Pugh or Flowers shows enough in the offseason and training camp to give them confidence they can protect Eli Manning's blind side for the first half of the season while Beatty recovers.
