Major news broke out for the New York Giants yesterday as starting offensive tackle Nate Solder announced that he was opting out of the 2020 NFL season. Solder is a high-risk opt-out as he has a son fighting an ongoing battle with cancer. Nate Solder is doing the right thing opting out to protect his family and their health.
For the Giants, this news has major implications. Nate Solder’s absence in the 2020 season will create a huge shift along the offensive line. How exactly does Nate Solder’s opt-out affect the rest of the offensive linemen?
Left Tackle – Andrew Thomas
Prior to his opt-out, there was discussion surrounding what position Nate Solder would be playing this season. The New York Giants selected Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. It was expected that Thomas will play left tackle for the Giants in his career, but Nate Solder’s presence on the roster made Thomas’s position in 2020 uncertain.
Now, with Nate Solder opted out for 2020, it is highly likely that Andrew Thomas will be the starting left tackle this season. Andrew Thomas played 1,075 pass-block snaps in his collegiate career. On those snaps, Thomas allowed only 37 total pressures. He also has not allowed more than 2 pressures in a game since 2017 (his freshman season at right tackle). The question now is who will start at right tackle?
 Right Tackle – Who Will Win The Job?
If Nate Solder did not opt-out of the 2020 NFL season, he would have been a shoo-in for the right tackle position. If he did not have the right tackle position, he likely would have started at left tackle and rookie Andrew Thomas would have moved over to the right side. Now, with Nate Solder no longer participating in the 2020 season, there is looming uncertainty over the right tackle position.
Among the players that will compete for the job include Nick Gates, Cameron Fleming, and Matt Peart.
Nick Gates started two games at right tackle for the Giants in 2019. He also started one game at right guard. Gates allowed just 9 pressures in 191 pass-blocking snaps in 2019 (PFF). The expectation was for Gates to compete for the starting center position this season, despite never playing a snap at center before. But now, with a shortage at right tackle, he could compete for that position, too.
The Giants signed Cameron Fleming this offseason to play as the team’s swing tackle and potentially fill in as a depth piece at right tackle. Now it seems most likely that he will be the starting right tackle in Week One.
Prior to the Nate Solder opt-out news, Matt Peart was unlikely to see any action in 2020. Now, with one less offensive tackle on the roster, that could change. Matt Peart could potentially see some playing time at some point in the season as the second or third-string right tackle.
Competition At A Weak Center Position
Many Giants fans were hoping to see Nick Gates start at center in 2020. But what happens if he starts at right tackle instead, now that Solder has opted out? This could lead Spencer Pulley into the starting role this season.
Spencer Pulley started one game for the Giants in 2019. That game was against the Jets in Week 12. In that game, Pulley struggled immensely as both a run-blocker and a pass-blocker. The center position is already a major weakness for the Giants. The potential of Nick Gates starting there made it a hopeful position. But, if Pulley is penciled in as the starter, that potential is taken away and the center position is as weak as it ever has been.
The Giants could look to sign a free-agent center. Justin Britt, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, is available after being cut this offseason. Britt was solid last season, allowing only 17 pressures in 504 snaps (PFF). He only played in 8 games, though, as Justin Britt suffered a torn ACL that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
If Justin Britt is healthy, he could be a solid addition to the Giants’ weak group of centers. This position battle will be crucial for the Giants in training camp. New York needs to see improved play out of the center position in 2020. With less depth now present on the offensive line, it might be more difficult now for the Giants to improve that position.