WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Try all you want but good luck putting a dent into the psyche of Andrew Thomas.
Oh, Abdul Carter tried. He was a whirlwind during Thursday’s training camp practice at the Sports Performance Center at The Greenbrier, bending and reaching and bursting, getting the better of Thomas, which is a rare feat. And Carter was letting Thomas and anyone else in the vicinity know all about it.
It might as well have gone in one ear and out the other. Thomas was, as usual, uninterested in engaging.
“That’s all defenders,” Thomas said, playfully dismissive of all the talk sent his way. “They make one play and they’re the best. You do it a second time, you’re All-Pro. I’m all about consistency. I love the competition. I don’t have to say much. I just speak by how I play.”
John Harbaugh, the new head coach, is still in the formative stages of getting to know these Giants players.
At first, he surmised that Thomas and Carter “might talk a little bit at each other during practice.” Then, after he was reminded that is not Thomas’ way, Harbaugh corrected himself.
“I’d say probably you’re right,” he said. “Probably Abdul’s talking more, and Andrew is just kind of looking at him.”
The action on a crystal-clear, blue-sky afternoon was fast and furious. Thomas completely stuffed Carter on an inside rush, and on the next snap, Carter went wide and got past Thomas. Soon after, Carter was in the backfield, leaped and tipped away a Jaxson Dart swing pass.
Carter was relentless. He applied pressure and wanted the play blown dead for a sack, trying to get some satisfaction from Harbaugh. No dice. Harbaugh motioned for Carter to get back up to the line of scrimmage.
At one point, Carter was so amped up that he kept charging forward and ran into T.J. Weist, an assistant special teams coach who during practice is responsible for assessing when to blow a play dead or keep it alive.
A moment later, Carter — still lathered up — went to the sideline and shouted, “You can’t f–k with me!”
These are all welcome developments for Carter, who as a rookie interspersed moments of great promise on the field with failings born out of immaturity. He had four sacks, 23 quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss in a debut season that also included getting fined and missing a start for lateness and other team violations.
As the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the talent in Carter is undeniable. And Thomas — the savvy, veteran left tackle — sees it.
“He can work edges really well. Part of that is he’s not a super tall rusher,” Thomas said. “He’s real low to the ground but he also has good change of direction so you can’t just anticipate which way he’s going to go.’’
Harbaugh liked what he saw from Carter in the first two practices and estimated “he’s doing everything well right now.” There is also the important element of who Carter is doing this against.
“He’s going against a really good tackle too,” Harbaugh said. “Those guys are making each other better. I just appreciate that kind of competition.”
Thomas is back where he belongs after missing the entire 2025 training camp — and the first two games of the regular season — returning from Lisfranc foot surgery. When healthy, Thomas is one of the league’s best left tackles.
“Well, Andrew, he’s special,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a one-of-a-kind, elite football player. Elite left tackle in every way. He’s in phenomenal shape. He’s moving great. He has worked super, super hard. He’s healthy. He’s ready to roll and looks really good.”
It is usually what you do not see with him that makes Thomas special. He does not dominate opposing pass rushers as much as he sort of eliminates them from the scene in an understated yet dominant manner.
Thomas is not big on celebrations or post-play posturing. If he could wear a business suit and carry a briefcase onto the field, he would, considering the way he carries himself in games and in the team facility.
No one, not even Carter, is going to get under Thomas’ skin. He said the only way he will retaliate on the field is if someone does “something cheap” to himself or a teammate. Otherwise, Thomas has an innate ability to tune out the noise.
“If we’re just playing, you won’t get me out of my character,” he said. “It definitely frustrates them. Don’t say anything back. They just get pissed, they start complaining to the ref about holding.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
