5 things to know about Justin Pugh
The Giants brought back a familiar face yesterday when they signed offensive lineman Justin Pugh to the practice squad.
Here are five things to know about the veteran lineman.
1. Selected 19th overall by the Giants back in 2013, Pugh has played 120 games with 119 starts over the last 10 seasons, in addition to two postseason games, with the Giants and Arizona Cardinals. He has made starts at left guard (73), right tackle (38), right guard (7) and left tackle (1) since entering the NFL. His two postseason starts, one apiece with the Giants and Cardinals, were both at left guard.
2. The 6-foot-5, 311-pound offensive lineman has been on the field for 4,720 pass block snaps over his career, according to Pro Football Focus, and has only allowed a total of 24 sacks and 232 pressures. In his five seasons with the Cardinals, Pugh did not have a single season with more than 21 total pressures allowed.
3. Pugh played just five games for Arizona last year before suffering a torn ACL that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. In the previous three seasons prior to the 2022 campaign, the veteran missed only three games total. According to PFF, Pugh has surrendered just one sack total dating back to the start of the 2020 season (1,290 pass block snaps).
He started all 63 games he played in with the Giants across his first five NFL seasons and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2013.
4. After redshirting in 2009, Pugh started all 34 games at left tackle over his final three seasons at Syracuse. He started all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2010 and was named Second-Team All-Big East. He went on to earn First-Team All-Big East honors in his final two seasons, and during his time with the Orangemen, he became the first Syracuse offensive lineman to record back-to-back seasons with 100+ knockdowns. Pugh also helped block for a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his three seasons as a starter.
5. Pugh attended Council Rock South High School in Holland, PA where he earned the Maxwell Award as a senior, an award presented to the Top 50 high school scholar-athletes in the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware).
The lineman has done plenty of work in the community since entering the NFL. During his first stint with the Giants, Pugh served as the national spokesperson for Shriners Hospitals for Children and their Game Day for LOVE campaign, which supports the life-saving and life-changing care to kids in need of specialized medical care.
In 2020, Pugh was named the Cardinals USAA Salute to Service nominee. The award is given to a player who provides year-round effort to honor, empower and connect with the nation's service members, veterans and their families. Pugh is the brother of an active duty United State Air Force service member.
View the best photos from Justin Pugh's time with the Giants.
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