The New York Giants may need significant support in their offensive line, but they do have one established player in Andrew Thomas at left tackle.
Thomas is coming off his best season as a professional in 2021, allowing just two sacks, three QB hits, and 13 hurries. He posted a 78.9 overall offensive grade and 82.1 pass-blocking grade, according to PFF. While he did miss a few games with an ankle injury, Thomas once again pushed through the issue and played the majority of the season despite serious pain.
Thomas undoubtedly fits the mold of new general manager Joe Schoen and what he prefers in his players, toughness and consistent growth. Despite the Giants struggling to build around him, Thomas has excelled, doing a lot of good work on his own with the offensive line coach position turning over multiple times since is drafting back in 2020.
However, Thomas underwent surgery at the end of the 2021 season to clean out his ankle, but things are progressing well as he begins to resume practicing with some of his fellow teammates down in Atlanta.
Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Andrew Thomas is well on his way to being 100% healthy for the 2022 season:
Left tackle Andrew Thomas is making steady progress from the surgery he underwent on his left ankle in late January. Thomas is already out of his walking boot and has resumed training alongside fellow Georgia alums and Giants linebackers Azeez Ojulari and Tae Crowder at an Atlanta area facility.
As aforementioned, the Giants still need to plug spots in the trenches this off-season. Unfortunately, with -$7 million in salary space at the moment, they will likely be shopping in the clearance bin, if not drafting mid-round players to help fill some big roles.
Duggan also theorizes that the Giants could have interest in likely Bills cap-casualty Jon Feliciano, who has experience with the team’s new offensive line coach, Bobby Johnson.
Feliciano played in eight games last season, allowing four QB hits, 12 hurries, and zero sacks. He accrued three penalties over 422 snaps, with his best game coming against the Miami Dolphins at left guard.
Feliciano brings plenty of experience at many different positions, including left and right guard and center. He has 689 total snaps on the left side, 312 snaps in the middle, and 1519 snaps at right guard. His most successful season came in 2019, given the sample size. He started for Buffalo, playing in 947 total snaps, allowing four sacks, four QB hits, and 12 hurries.
Feliciano signed a three-year, $14.4 million contract with the Bills in 2021, meaning he has two years left on the contract. However, the Bills would save $3.37 million if they release him this off-season, counting a $1.5 million dead money hit against the salary cap. It seems likely they will move on, which could drop him right into the Giants’ lap, who are already familiar with his services given Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll, and Bobby Johnson, who coached him back with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Unfortunately, Big Blue will have to be cost-efficient with their spending this off-season, and Feliciano does seem to be a perfect fit given his experience with management.