The Giants gave Andrew Thomas some rest and their other offensive linemen another test. 

The left tackle was mostly a non-participant during the open portion of Thursday’s practice — a walk-through with Nate Solder on the left side and Matt Peart on the right side. It was one of coach Joe Judge’s “load management” days, though a bit of curious timing: Thomas didn’t take many snaps off during training camp after undergoing ankle surgery in January, and the Giants are not practicing again until Monday. 

The 2020 first-round pick struggled in joint practices with the Patriots then Sunday for the whole league to see, allowing two sacks and another pressure in his first-half matchup against Pro Bowler Matt Judon and relative unknown Josh Uche. 

“We win some, we lose some,” offensive line coach Rob Sale. “He had a good last couple weeks in practice in one-on-one pass protection. He was short on the edge a few times and he’ll tell you that. It was his first live-action, full-speed in front of him. He’ll battle back and respond the right way.” 

Thomas’ problem when he allowed 57 pass pressures — second-most in the NFL — as a rookie was a tendency “to overshoot his target,” according to then-offensive line coach Marc Colombo. An overcorrection in the other direction is his newest footwork trouble. 

“Whoever is in the room — doesn’t matter if it’s Andrew Thomas or whoever — is going to get coached hard and loved harder,” Sale said. “The best five will be out there ready to play.” 

OK … but who are they? Just four practices remain before the Sept. 12 opener against the Broncos. 

As much as injuries have slowed the jelling of the offense, uncertainty up front is another hindrance. The average depth of route when quarterback Daniel Jones was in the game against the Patriots was 5.9 yards, per Pro Football Focus. 

“We have to get better,” coordinator Jason Garrett said. “We have to be able to give our quarterback more time to throw the ball down the field, but we also need to be efficient. We need to be able to mix it up, throw the ball quickly, get it out, make positive plays. You and I both know we need to make some explosive plays. That’s what leads to scoring. So, we have to find that balance.” 

The starting five was supposed to be Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez and Peart, from left to right. Then Lemieux injured his knee July 31 and hasn’t fully returned. Then Peart’s performance allowed Solder to possibly win the starting job. Then Thomas struggled. 

And now the Giants have acquired three offensive linemen in the past four days because one of Lemieux’s two summer-long fill-ins was cut and bumped to the practice squad (Kenny Wiggins) and the other is on injured reserve (Ted Larsen). So left guard is up for grabs because even a healthy Lemieux will be on a snap limit, forcing newcomer Ben Bredeson to get up to speed while his teammates enjoy a long weekend. 

Talk of a six-to-eight player rotation is back. 

“It’s like a college study session all over again,” Bredeson said after his second practice. “I’ll be in the playbook the whole time.” 

The Giants traded for Billy Price (going through a five-day COVID-19 entry protocol) and Bredeson. And Matt Skura — a career 51-game starter for the Ravens who was just cut by the Dolphins — is joining the practice squad. 

Price and Skura are experienced centers, which could force the Giants to experiment with steady center Nick Gates’ versatility. On a line with a first-round pick, a second-rounder, a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder, the formerly undrafted Gates is invaluable. 

“If you are a center handling the communication inside-out, you can handle the communication at guard,” Sale said. “He took some reps at guard and we’ll sprinkle him in more and more.” 

Bredeson, a second-year pro drafted seven picks before Lemieux, described the whirlwind since the trade from the Ravens as “pretty nuts.” He credited former Giants guard Kevin Zeitler for helping him with the Ravens and giving him post-trade tips on the Giants. 

“We’re trying to build a team here that can win a bunch of games,” Bredeson said, “and I’m going to do whatever I can to be a part of that.”