The New York Giants have a different look to their offensive line this season, and it could be a catalyst behind any success that the team may endure over the course of the year.
The Giants made massive changes to the offensive line this offseason
New York added three new players to the offensive line over the offseason in right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and guards Jon Runyan Jr. and Greg Van Roten. Eluemunor and Van Roten spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and led one of the stronger offensive lines in the NFL last season. Meanwhile, Runyan had spent his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers and has appeared in every game since his rookie season.
The Giants’ plans at the front lines weren’t clear at the start of training camp. Evan Neal’s injury and lack of strong play allowed for an opening at right tackle, which is where Eluemunor filled in. But this opened up a need at guard, which subsequently resulted in the signing of Van Roten. On top of what was added in the offseason, All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas will be fully healthy and center John Michael Schmitz will look to improve in his second NFL season.
Upgrading the offensive line was arguably the biggest priority for Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen this offseason. In the 2023 season, the Giants allowed 85 sacks, which was the most in the NFL by a wide margin and the second-most by a team in a single season in league history. The group last season dealt with an array of injuries which caused a revolving door of players to step in, including getting Justin Pugh to come out of retirement.
The Giants will hope that the new additions make for a better offensive line
The putrid performance of the offensive line forced the Giants to make a change in the coaching capacity, as they fired Bobby Johnson and hired Carmen Bricillo, who coached Eluemunor and Van Roten with the Raiders last season. The new group has a better track record of success, which gives hope that this year will see significantly better play from them.
Entering Week 1, the Giants will be fully healthy for the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. They will need stability at the front lines all season long to provide a clean pocket for quarterback Daniel Jones to make plays. With Jones now having a legitimate No. 1 receiving option at his disposal in Malik Nabers, it will be crucial for the Giants to have good offensive line play to generate more scoring plays.
The Giants ranked towards the bottom in a number of major scoring categories last season, and an improved offense starts with better offensive line play. Sunday will be a good indicator of how that unit will perform together over the course of the season, and New York will hope to see promising results against a tough Vikings defensive line.
