The New York Giants are no strangers to facing complaints about the offensive line. One of the main problems in the last years of Eli Manning, and the rookie year of this year’s starter Daniel Jones, was pass protection – a problem that forced the team’s quarterbacks into making bad throws on a number of occasions thanks to the line not holding up long enough for openings to appear. Names from Ereck Flowers to Nate Solders have been regarded as busts at offensive line positions for the Giants, among others.
But the team is taking a step forward to change that this season, and the Giants showed a serious commitment to that by spending the number four overall pick on tackle Andrew Thomas over others such as outside linebacker Isaiah Simmons, a more expected pick. According to some sources, that decision was a good one in turning the team’s fates around at the offensive line positions.
Sports Illustrated spoke with a former NFC scout, who even says that the Giants have made it out of the basement and into the upper half of the league in that area.
“In a short time, this has gone from a bottom-five offensive line that should rank in the top half of the league with a ceiling even higher due to the presence of (first-round pick Andrew) Thomas,” the scout said.
It looks like Thomas may take on a starting role in his first season and depending on how his performance in training camp goes, he could unseat Nate Solder at left tackle. It’s a big change, and if Thomas is an improvement, one that can immediately benefit Daniel Jones.
But the Giants are also no stranger to having hyped up offensive lines that haven’t performed so well. Solder, for example, was a high profile signing at the time. Even the season before Solder’s arrival, the Giants had shuffled players around and made a couple of additions without much practical difference on the field. Will this season be different? That’s still up for debate, but at the least, some voices around the league are more confident in the team this year.