The New York Giants have a position battle brewing on their offensive line entering the 2023 season. Despite having the majority of the starting five established, a question mark remains at left guard. Three players seem to be contending for the position: Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezeudu, and Shane Lemieux. Of the three, one must prevail by the start of the regular season.
Who will start at LG for the Giants in 2023
Bredeson stands out as the veteran guard that could secure the starting role this season. Bredeson started eight games for the Giants at left guard in 2022. He allowed 0 sacks in 11 games last season, battling through injuries and rotating the left guard spot with Nick Gates and Ezeudu.
Ezeudu was also hampered by injuries last season. As a rookie in 2022, Ezeudu appeared in 10 games and made two starts, surrendering three sacks and 15 pressures. As a third-round pick in last year’s draft, Ezeudu is clearly a player the Giants want to develop into an eventual starter. However, he will need to work hard to steal the spot from Bredeson this summer.
Entering his fourth season in the league, Bredeson is by far the most experienced contender for the starting job. He has played in 29 career games with nine starts under his belt. While he may not be a game-changer, Bredeson is a serviceable starter that Big Blue can feel comfortable inserting into the starting lineup to open the regular season. Ezeudu, however, is the younger player with far more potential to develop into a stalworth.
Outside of Bredeson and Ezeudu is Lemieux who, throughout his career, has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Lemieux has appeared in just two games across the past two seasons after a lackluster rookie season in 2020. Considering the competition at the position, Lemieux appears to be the odd man out in the race for the left guard job.
Bredeson makes sense as the Week 1 starter for the Giants at left guard. However, Ezeudu is a talented young player with all the tools to develop into a starter. He could be rotated into the lineup with the intention of eventually letting him take over later in the season.