Don’t be alarmed, the New York Giants aren’t losing their left tackle. A simple arthroscopic ankle surgery to clear out bone spurs will force starter Nate Solder out until training camp – he will skip spring training as he heals.
Solder had a rocky start to his career with the Giants, performing poorly for the first half of the season but elevating his game in the second. The reason is generally straight forward.
Why Nate Solder will improve in 2019 for the New York Giants:
On his former team, Solder had to operate with Tom Brady under center, a passer that’s much better at navigating the pocket than Eli Manning. Brady’s drop back was significantly shorter than Manning’s, which allowed Solder to push the pass-rusher behind Brady as he stepped up into the pocket.
The left tackle had to adjust to Manning’s deeper drop back, as he caught himself pushing edge rusher directly into Manning early on in the season. Luckily, he was able to break this bad habit and adapt to Manning’s style of play. He ranked as the #21 tackle in the league after fixing the issue.
Getting Solder back to 100% health is a priority for the upcoming season. He’s primed to improve upon his first season with Big Blue.