Pass blocking is a major issue for the New York Giants this season. The team has made a number of big additions to the offense, but that might only have a limited impact if the offensive line can’t protect quarterback Daniel Jones. This is especially relevant with this season being largely declared the make or break one for Daniel Jones, who needs a raise in his levels of play to keep up his job security among rising pressure.
However, not everyone is that confident about the Giants improving in that area. ESPN has been ranking various position groups around the league, and when it comes to offensive lines, the Giants received a grade at the very bottom of the league for pass blocking.
The list measured the teams by projected pass blocking win rate, and the Giants came in at 32nd in the league with a projected score of 52%.
32. New York Giants
Projected PBWR: 52%Projected offensive line: Andrew Thomas (56th), Shane Lemieux (69th), Nick Gates (34th), Will Hernandez (31st), Matt Peart (DNQ)
So much for general manager Dave Gettleman’s grand plan for the offensive line. The rookie Thomas performed well according to our run blocking metric, but he was a liability as a pass protector — though he did battle an ankle injury that required surgery after the season.
In what could be a make-or-break season for third-year quarterback Daniel Jones, Gettleman got him more receiving help, but Jones is going to be on the run behind this O-line.
Nate Solder was notably not listed with the projected starting offensive line despite being brought back for another year by the Giants.
The Giants will obviously have to do better than these projections if they want to see a full improvement in their offense. Much of that offense hinges on Daniel Jones, who was one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league last season and saw many chances missed simply due to not having enough time to make a play.
If there is one thing the Giants have going for them, however, it’s that they’ll have a bit more experience with Matt Peart entering his second year as the likely starter and Andrew Thomas coming into the season healthy as well as with lessons learned from year one.
The Giants should also have more stability at the offensive line coach spot compared to last season. It was a turbulent spot last year, with a change being made mid season and Joe Judge personally stepping in to take a larger role in training the position. This season, however, things are expected to go smoother.
There’s a very real chance these factors lead to the Giants performing above this low projection, but headed into the season, there’s not much faith from the outside media that they’ll manage to do so.