It is easy to look at the New York Giants wide receiver position and coin them as the biggest liability on the roster, but the truth is, it is impossible for a quarterback to throw the football when their offensive line is struggling at such an alarming rate.
While it is true that Andrew Thomas is in the middle of a dominant 2022 season, and rookie tackle Evan Neal is experiencing signs of exponential growth, the line remains a major liability, which ultimately hurts Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley.
Under the leadership of general manager Joe Schoen, the Giants turned over the interior line with minimal salary space and capital. In fact, they have three new starters this year, including Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano, and Ben Bredesen, a holdover from the Dave Gettleman tenure.
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The New York Giants still need significant help in the iOL:
Glowinski signed a three-year, $18.3 million deal to help lock down the right guard position. Over 804 snaps this season, Glowinski has given up five sacks and 27 total pressures, including three penalties. Against the Washington Commanders in Week 13, Glowinski gave up two sacks and three pressures, earning one of the worst grades on the line. He’s been extremely inconsistent, which has presented a problem for Big Blue.
Feliciano only had 307 total snaps at the center position before taking over full-time this year on a cheap one-year deal. Across 722 snaps thus far, Feliciano has allowed two sacks and 18 pressures, struggling considerably as a pass protector. He had one of his better games against Washington this past weekend, but he doesn’t seem to be a long-term solution, with Nick Gates performing well in his first starting action coming off a severe broken leg he sustained last year.
Gates may reclaim his starting role in the middle of the OL moving forward, but that is only if the Giants can find themselves a new left guard. At the moment, they have Bredeson, Josh Ezeudu, and Shane Lemieux.
All three have struggled, despite Bredeson putting together a few solid performances this year before suffering a knee injury that has kept him out since Week 7 against Jacksonville. Upon his return, he projects to slot right in as the starter, but the team expects Ezeudu to take on a much bigger role in the future as a rookie third-round pick in the most recent draft class.
Over 290 snaps, Ezeudu has given up three sacks and 15 pressures, but experience is the only way to iron out his deficiencies.
Seemingly, management won’t make too many big changes next off-season, given they need to make big financial commitments to Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones prospectively. I wouldn’t be surprised if they allocated a bit of draft capital toward adding competition and giving their players time to gel under similar coaches. The Giants have churned through coaches at an unsustainable rate in the past, so I expect them to be a bit more consistent moving forward.
Nonetheless, if the OL can’t provide the quarterback with true pass-sets and time in the pocket, having good receivers doesn’t make a difference.