The New York Giants beefed up the offensive line this summer after a disastrous performance from last year’s group. They were able to sign two of the best offensive linemen available on the market in Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor. The Giants weren’t alone in their pursuit for Runyan, as the crosstown rival New York Jets wanted to reunite him with his former Green Bay Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers.
Jon Runyan chose to be a part of the Giants’ rebuild
The Giants and Jets are in two completely different landscapes, as the G-men are expected to restart a rebuild that was temporarily interrupted by a surprising postseason berth in 2022, while the Jets are projected to be Super Bowl contenders with Rodgers returning from a torn achilles. Runyan could’ve chose the easier route and compete for a championship now instead of playing the long game in East Rutherford.
Ultimately, Runyan chose the Giants for a slightly more expensive deal than the Jets offered at three years and $30 million ($17 million guaranteed), but money was not the only factor behind his decision. He added that his decision also came down to what was being built by the G-men long-term, which enticed him to sign with them.
“You can say the Jets are built for right-now mode to go win the Super Bowl this year,” Runyan said via The New York Post. “But I think this franchise here is building not just for this year, but I think they’re building for the next four or five years.
“The money is the money — whatever — but I really believe in what Joe, Brandon, Dabes, Carmen and everybody else is building here. I like how this team is built from top-to-bottom on the offensive side of the ball.”
Jon Runyan fills a lot of needs for the Giants
The 26-year-old guard provides a lot of what the Giants need out of their o-line. One of his most notable traits is his durability, as he hasn’t missed a game in his four-year career. Runyan was also a part of some premiere offensive lines with the Packers, as his team’s units allowed just 21 sacks in 2020, 33 in 2021, 32 in 2022 and 30 last season.
His efforts were instrumental in that group’s success, allowing just two sacks in 928 total snaps last season. The Giants’ offensive line was historically bad in 2023, allowing the second-most sacks by a team in a single season in NFL history with 85 on the year. The struggles from the group resulted in a very low offensive output scoring wise and was a key part of why quarterback Daniel Jones’ season ended early with a torn ACL.
One of the Giants’ biggest priorities this offseason was improving the offensive line group. Bringing in Runyan adds him to a group that will have All-Pro tackle Andrew Thomas along with Eluemunor and second-year center John Michael-Schmitz. Runyan has faith that the revamped group will deliver positive results for the Giants in 2024 and beyond.
“The offensive line is going to be really solid, I firmly believe,” Runyan said via The New York Post. “And we just have to give our quarterback time to make plays.”
