New York Giants: Should Nate Solder start the season at left tackle?

Despite allowing 11 sacks in 2019 at left tackle, the New York Giants hold Nate Solder in high regard. He’s a hard worker and has dealt with some of the most strenuous personal issues one can imagine, but he still showed up for work every day, even if he was inconsistent.

There is no question that Solder has persevered the past two seasons as his child battles cancer. However, he is prepared to take the necessary steps forward to protect young quarterback Daniel Jones.

That brings up the question, do the Giants start Solder in 2020, or do they rely on fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas?

The consensus would agree that Thomas should be the starting left tackle, or at least have the advantage considering how high the Giants picked him. Coming out of Georgia, Thomas had the highest floor of all the offensive tackle prospects.

His strengths entering the NFL are his lower body power and absolute nasty mentality in the trenches. Thomas is always looking for work to do, whether it’s hitting somebody or making a devastating block. While he can be a bit slow to get to the second level, he can anchor down well in pass protection and hold his own against premium pass rushers. He projects as a day one starter at the next level and has been coined a people mover. The Giants brought in new offensive line coach Mark Colombo, who’s known for his physcial style. He should mesh well with Thomas.

Thomas ultimately fits the mold perfectly, and a team that will let him play nasty and downhill will ultimately see the best of his physical traits.

The Ideal Fit

With that being said, the ideal move would be to start Thomas at left tackle immediately. While Solder has more experience and has shown he can play at a high-level in the past, his dead cap hit in 2021 is $6.5 million. If the Giants cut him next off-season, they will save $14 million in cap space, which they can allocate toward a pass rusher or bolstering another position.

Considering they have Nick Gates, developmental pick Matt Peart, and Cameron Fleming available, keeping Solder on that contract, at that price point, would be malpractice. With the expectation that he will be gone, the Giants shouldn’t wait to install Thomas at left tackle and initiate his development with Jones at quarterback. However, management is keen on creating position battles at every spot, so Thomas will have to earn his way to the starting position, but I believe he is the better player.

Solder should be moved over to the right side and given the opportunity to play there. In reality, both Thomas and Solder will probably play on both ends during training camp, giving the coaches a better idea of what the line should look like during the regular season.