New York Giants: Just how good was Matt Peart in week 6 win over Washington?

New York Giants, Matt Peart
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 14: Matt Peart #74 of the New York Giants runs during warmups before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium on September 14, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The New York Giants made a significant change in week six against the Washington Football Team, as they benched left tackle Andrew Thomas in favor of Matt Peart. The benching wasn’t performance-related but a result of Thomas being tardy to a meeting.

Ultimately, sitting for the opening series was a lose-lose situation for Thomas, as his counterpart performed extremely well in specific categories against Washington. Notably, he had an elite 93.4 blocking grade over 26 total snaps. In pass blocking, he graded out at 58, which isn’t terrible compared to Thomas’ embarrassing 31.7 grade in week five against Dallas.

Peart actually enjoyed four more total snaps than Thomas in week six, indicating a potential splitting of reps moving forward. The Giants simply cannot put young quarterback Daniel Jones in jeopardy, so continuing to play Thomas, who has been a liability all season, is simply unacceptable. I believe they roll with the hot hand on any given week, and Peart performed well enough to justify some more action against the Philadelphia Eagles in week seven.

The New York Giants have done a good job developing Peart:

The development of the young Connecticut product has been an ongoing process. New offensive line coordinator Marc Colombo has done a stellar job developing Peart, who stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 301 pounds. He has continuously added more weight onto his frame, improving his size and ability to hunker down.

If the New York Giants found their left tackle for the future in a third-round pick, moving Thomas over to the right tackle side is still an acceptable move that will provide continuity in the trenches for years to come.

Management cannot be afraid to make a difficult decision like moving Thomas to right tackle, despite drafting him with a fourth overall pick.

However, that is a terrible sign for general manager Dave Gettleman, who chose the Georgia product over a bevy of alternative options. It is possible they anticipated having Nate Solder around to help him ease into the position and refrain from throwing him into the fire.

Thomas has been forced to play against some of the best pass rushers in the NFL to start his young career, which has been problematic, so it seems. He still has plenty of time to refine his abilities and grow into the role, but Peart is surely bound to give him a run for his money.