This offseason, general manager Joe Schoen will face a challenging assignment in trying to improve the offensive line of the New York Giants. The Giants’ offensive line has been probably the worst in the NFL this season, giving up a league-high 77 sacks.
New York’s first aim this offseason will be to bolster the offensive line with talent. Big Blue will have choices to bolster the team’s talent in the draft and free agency. Nevertheless, the key factor in this offensive line’s improvement will be the Giants’ own players’ ability to advance and become competent players.
The younger players for the Giants must advance.
Big Blue’s pride and pleasure on the offensive line is without a doubt Andrew Thomas. He is a superb left tackle for the organization who will be a consistent All-Pro candidate for many years to come. Evan Neal, a right tackle selected in the first round of 2022, was expected to provide the Giants with a similar degree of value.
Sadly, Neal has not lived up to expectations thus far. He had a terrible rookie season and an ankle injury that stopped his second season early. Neal might never get better. But Neal will have to make a major improvement if the Giants hope to see improvement on their offensive line in the upcoming season.
Neal thinks he was meant to play offensive tackle, but the inexperienced player might benefit from switching to guard.
John Michael Schmitz, a second-round selection in 2023, is another young offensive line prospect. As the center of Big Blue’s offensive line, the rookie has had a difficult season. The offensive line will advance significantly the next season if he makes a developmental step forward.
The Giants will be interested in seeing a number of other young players behind the starting five, as well. Two interior offensive lineman who have seen little play in the NFL are Markus McKethan and Joshua Ezeudu. However, they require more time to grow as mid-round selections. The Giants’ front-line players will feel more at ease if they develop into reliable contributors or depth players.
Aiming for a seasoned offensive lineman in the open market
Offensive linemen are always in high demand during the free agency period. However, the Giants should be actively participating in some of the major bidding wars for free-agent offensive lineman if they are determined to permanently improve their unit.
Guards Robert Hunt and Kevin Zeitler and tackles Jonah Williams and George Fant are two of the best candidates to go after. Hunt and Zeitler would both be significant improvements at right guard. If the Giants decide to bench Neal or shift him to another position, Williams and Fant would also be ready to go right away as right tackles.
The Giants’ offensive line is in such dire need of help right now that it makes sense to pursue a veteran free agent. Most rookies in the NFL have a high learning curve when they first join the league. When a team is counting on a rookie to provide an instant improvement, the growing pains that come with being a rookie can often be a hindrance.
The Giants must thus strengthen their offensive line this offseason by signing a dependable veteran player who can jump in and start making an impact right away through free agency.
Adding skill by way of the draft?
The Giants have selected more offensive linemen in the top 10 than any other team during the previous four years. They are the only team to allocate five of the first 100 picks to the offensive line, and they account for 25% of the top 10 offensive lineman selections. It is untrue to imply that the Giants haven’t made any investments on their offensive line.
Young offensive line talent is present on the G-Men’s squad. It was intended for Evan Neal to be a pillar of the team. Joshua Ezeudu and Markus McKethan, his UNC teammate, were both enticing prospects out of college.
The Giants should be developing offensive linemen instead of drafting offensive linemen at this time.
It’s true that they may, and probably will, bolster the team with additional talent through the draft. However, if the Giants don’t start developing their offensive lineman properly, this skill, along with all the other talent on this roster, will be wasted. Perhaps the only real answer to all of these issues is to get a new offensive line coach.
