Giants: Alijah Vera-Tucker’s injury-riddled career makes him the perfect high-upside gamble

The Giants have two glaring vacancies on the offensive line heading into free agency—right guard and right tackle—and only $7 million in cap space to solve them. Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor are both hitting the market, and while I expect the Giants to bring back Van Roten as a utility depth piece, the starting jobs are wide open. Here’s where it gets interesting: Alijah Vera-Tucker, the former Jets first-rounder who missed all of 2025, represents exactly the kind of value play that cash-strapped teams dream about. I’m convinced the Giants should pounce.

The Injury History Is Real—But So Is the Upside

Let’s not sugarcoat this: Vera-Tucker has played just 2,625 snaps across four NFL seasons. That’s essentially two full seasons’ worth of work spread over four years, which screams durability concern. He missed the entire 2025 campaign recovering from a torn triceps injury, and his career has been a frustrating cycle of flashes followed by rehab. The Giants would be inheriting a 25-year-old guard who has never completed a full 17-game season and whose body has already betrayed him multiple times.

But here’s the thing—when Vera-Tucker is on the field, he’s elite. And the price tag will reflect the injury baggage, not the talent.

The PFF Grades Tell You Everything You Need to Know

According to Pro Football Focus, Vera-Tucker’s 2024 season—his most recent action before the triceps tear—was borderline dominant. He posted a 77.7 overall grade across 916 snaps, with a 76.3 run-blocking grade and a 74.5 pass-blocking grade. Those are starter-quality numbers, and they came while playing exclusively at right guard for the Jets. He allowed just four sacks and four hits across 582 pass-blocking snaps —he was credited with allowing some pressures, but the film shows a player who can hold up in protection.

Go back to 2023, and the picture gets even better. Vera-Tucker logged a 71.7 overall grade with an 82.7 run-blocking grade in limited action (250 snaps). That run-blocking number is what jumps off the page—it’s top-10 caliber work, the kind of nastiness that fits perfectly in Greg Roman’s run-heavy offensive system. If you’re building an offense around Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and a power running game, you need guards who can move bodies at the line of scrimmage. Vera-Tucker does that when healthy.

The Positional Versatility Solves Multiple Problems

Here’s where Vera-Tucker becomes more than just a right guard option—he’s played all over the line during his career. The PFF data shows 1,249 snaps at right guard, 279 at right tackle, 70 at left tackle, and 1,027 at left guard. That’s rare flexibility for a player who was drafted 14th overall in 2021 specifically to anchor the Jets’ interior. The Giants could plug him in at right guard to replace Van Roten, kick him out to right tackle if Eluemunor walks, or even use him as a swing depth piece who can fill in at multiple spots.

And if the Giants are serious about upgrading at center—Tyler Linderbaum’s name keeps popping up as a potential John Michael Schmitz replacement. Linderbaum would be the obvious scheme fit for Matt Nagy’s offense, especially given his familiarity with John Harbaugh’s run concepts in Baltimore. But acquiring Linderbaum requires a significant contract, and the Giants simply don’t have the cap space to overpay at multiple positions. Vera-Tucker on a short-term, low-money deal gives them the flexibility to chase bigger fish while still addressing the immediate line issues.

The Financial Reality Makes This a No-Brainer

The Giants are projected to have $129 million in cap space in 2027, which means they can structure contracts creatively to borrow against next year’s room. But in 2026, they’re capped at roughly $7 million before restructures, and they need to address receiver, cornerback, and the offensive line. There’s no margin for error here, which is why Vera-Tucker’s market value is so appealing.

A player who missed an entire season due to a torn triceps surgery isn’t getting multi-year, $10 million per year deals. I’m projecting a one-year $5 million contract with minimal guarantees—something in the range of $2.5 million fully guaranteed with performance incentives that could push the total value higher if he stays healthy.

Although a multi-year deal would allow the Giants to push the majority of the cap hit into 2027, he will probably want to bet on himself for one season.

The one-year structure protects the Giants if Vera-Tucker breaks down again while giving him a prove-it opportunity to rebuild his market for 2027. It’s a classic high-risk, high-reward scenario, and the Giants are in exactly the right position to take that swing.

The Matt Nagy and Greg Roman Factor

Here’s what makes this fit even more compelling: the Giants hired Greg Roman as their run game coordinator, which signals a philosophical shift toward physicality and gap-scheme blocking. Roman built his reputation in Baltimore and San Francisco by turning pedestrian offensive lines into maulers through scheme and repetition. Vera-Tucker’s 82.7 run-blocking grade in 2023 is exactly the kind of profile Roman can maximize.

Pair that with Matt Nagy’s RPO-heavy system—which requires guards who can pull, climb to the second level, and handle combination blocks—and Vera-Tucker’s skill set starts to look like a perfect match. He’s not a mauler in the traditional sense, but he’s quick, technically sound, and violent at the point of attack when his body cooperates. That’s the profile that thrives in Nagy’s offense, especially when you’re asking linemen to execute quick-hitting runs and play-action concepts.

The Risk vs. Reward Calculation

Let’s be honest about what the Giants would be inheriting: a player who has missed significant time in three of his four NFL seasons, who is coming off a devastating triceps injury, and who has never proven he can hold up for a full year. There’s a very real chance Vera-Tucker signs in March, looks great in training camp, and is back on injured reserve by Week 6. That’s the nightmare scenario, and it’s absolutely on the table.

But here’s the counter-argument: the Giants are already gambling on offensive line depth by letting Eluemunor and potentially Van Roten walk. They’re going to fill those spots with someone, whether it’s a veteran minimum guy, a mid-round draft pick, or a reclamation project. Vera-Tucker is all three wrapped into one—a former first-rounder with starter-level tape, a price tag that reflects his injury history, and upside that could turn him into a foundational piece if he stays healthy.

I’d rather bet on Vera-Tucker’s 77.7 PFF grade and elite run-blocking profile than overpay for a mid-tier free agent who doesn’t move the needle. The Giants have the cap space in 2027 to absorb a bad contract if this goes sideways. They don’t have the cap space in 2026 to waste money on mediocrity. This is the exact type of calculated risk that championship front offices take—and the kind that losing franchises talk themselves out of.

The market will determine Vera-Tucker’s price, but if the Giants can land him on a short-term deal with minimal commitment, this is a no-brainer. He solves the right guard vacancy, provides swing depth across the line, and fits the run-heavy offensive identity that Roman and Nagy are building. The injury concerns are real, but the upside is too tantalizing to ignore. Sometimes the best moves are the ones that scare you a little. This is one of them.