Three games into his fourth NFL season, former top 10 overall pick Ereck Flowers is being benched by the New York Giants. According to multiple reports, the Giants will replace Flowers in the lineup with Chad Wheeler, who started five games for the team last season.

Flowers was the No. 9 overall pick back in 2015. He was expected to be the Giants' right tackle but a preseason injury to Will Beatty pushed him over to Eli Manning's blind side. He struggled early and often, and never really developed any kind of rhythm on that side of the ball. Things got so bad in 2017 that the Giants felt they had to hand Nate Solder a monster contract and shift Flowers back to the right tackle spot.

Flowers was upset with the move and skipped some of mini-camp, but eventually showed up and took his spot along the right side of the line. In Week 1, he was destroyed by Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell, and showed his lack of preparation by saying after the game that he thought the 6-foot-8, 300-pound Campbell was "a speed guy" and was surprised when he used a power move to drive though Flowers and get to Manning. He did not fare much better against Cowboys rusher DeMarcus Lawrence in Week 2, yielding a sack and several pressures as Manning could not get into a rhythm all night.

Now, he heads to the bench in favor of an undrafted free agent who himself was not all that effective when given a chance a year ago. This is likely the end of the line for Flowers in New York. He seems at least somewhat likely to get another chance elsewhere given his youth and pedigree, but that chance will presumably not be as a guaranteed starter. He'll have to show great improvement in order to ever work his way back into a starting role on any team.