The New York Giants just wrapped up a phenomenal 2021 NFL Draft. Dave Gettleman and the Giants traded down twice to get future picks and landed two first-round talents. Their draft class has been met with a ton of praise. However, one criticism of the Giants’ draft is that they failed to address the offensive line.
The Giants’ pass-block win rate in 2020, according to ESPN, ranked dead-last in the NFL at 46%. Their run-block win-rate ranked 18th at 70%, which is about average or slightly below. So while the Giants did upgrade Daniel Jones’s weapons in free agency, fans feel like they still desperately need to fix the offensive line in front of him.
Many New York Giants fans felt like the NFL Draft was the last opportunity to add upgrades to the offensive line. However, that is not the case. There is still time for the Giants to upgrade the offensive line.
How the Giants can still upgrade their offensive line
The Giants still have time to add reinforcements to their offensive line. New York’s front office and coaching staff has admitted they are far more confident in their offensive line than the general public, however, they did target offensive linemen in the NFL Draft. They were not able to draft the linemen they targeted, but they did sign two undrafted free agent offensive linemen (Brett Heggie, UF, and Jake Burton, Baylor).
There are also free agents currently on the market for the New York Giants to consider. One free agent offensive guard that makes sense for the Giants is Trai Turner. The former Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers offensive linemen has ties to Dave Gettleman. Turner was once regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, making consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2015 to 2019. He struggled mightily in 2020, but he is only two years removed from a Pro Bowl season. The Giants could take a chance on Turner and hope to see him get his career back on track in 2021. Other intriguing free agent offensive linemen available are Lane Taylor, James Carpenter, Bobby Massie, Rick Wagner, and many others.
In addition to the offensive linemen already available on the market, there is certainly a new crop of hog mollies that will hit the market in the summer. As training camp inches closer, so does the wave of new cuts. Throughout training camp and preseason, teams will make cuts and a plethora of roster changes as they trim the fat and get down to the designated 55-man roster. The Giants will need to keep a close eye on the waiver wire this summer if they still want to find upgrades on the offensive line.