Nate Solder is set to have a make or break season with the New York Giants this year. The Giants are definitely overpaying for Solder’s talents, but the degree that they’re overpaying depends on the production they get from the left tackle.
Solder didn’t do nearly enough to earn his salary last season. As for the current season, we have yet to see where Solder fits into the plans. The team presumably isn’t going to send a player they’re paying this much for to the bench. Even if rookie Andrew Thomas is the more attractive option at left tackle.
A new report, though, claims that Solder has a better reputation inside the organization than he does with the fans.
Do the New York Giants still believe in Nate Solder?
According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Solder still has a pretty good reputation within the team itself. It will be a surprising revelation to some – the narrative around Solder outside of the team is almost entirely negative thanks to his high cost and underperformance.
Within the Giants’ walls, Solder is respected as a towering athlete and soulful leader, a durable and reliable player whose on-field performance for some reason deteriorated badly in 2019.
The report also claims the Giants never seriously considered moving on from Solder after the season. It’s more likely that they’ll start both Solder and Andrew Thomas. That indeed looks like the option the Giants will go with. Solder didn’t perform as expected last year, but on the other hand, the team has no other right tackle option with as much credibility as Solder.
It might not be the most popular decision with fans. But with no other apparent alternative, it looks like the choice the team will make.
Is it for better or worse? Well, training camp begins near the end of this month, if nothing changes again, and that’s the first time we’ll get to see just what kind of state Nate Solder is in this year.