After Sunday night’s disastrous performance by the New York Giants’ offensive line, immediate changes are clearly necessary. With the right side of the offensive line being exposed by the Cowboys’ defensive line all game long, it may be time to substitute right guard Mark Glowinski for second-year player Joshua Ezeudu.
The Giants have a liability at right guard
Glowinski had struggled all night vs. Dallas, which caused quarterback Daniel Jones to be pressured on more than half of his snaps. The veteran right guard surrendered nine pressures and three sacks against Dallas, earning a 1.0 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade. Combining those struggles with those of right tackle Evan Neal made the right side extremely vulnerable.
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Joshua Ezeudu has plenty of upside
Ezeudu demonstrated his potential last season to be the elite pass-blocker he was in college before a neck injury caused him to miss the second half of the season. His overall line was not fantastic, allowing 15 QB pressures and three sacks over 10 games played, but the former University of North Carolina product has a ton of upside.
If the Giants choose to continue to play Glowinski, there is still an avenue for Ezeudu to get slotted into the lineup. All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas suffered a hamstring injury during the season opener and, though the severity of his injury is to be determined, if he is unable to go in Week 2, Ezeudu would be the first candidate to take over for him.
Could Ezeudu fit in at LT?
Ezeudu filled in for Thomas in Week 1 after he was pulled from the lineup in the fourth quarter to preserve his health. Ezeudu played 14 snaps against Dallas, all at left tackle. Despite being placed in such a tricky situation, Ezeudu did not surrender a single pressure and finished the game with a 75.8 Pro Football Focus grade.
In 2022, Ezeudu started in two games at left guard in place of the injured Ben Bredeson. While his performance started out rocky, flashed some potential.
While it is unrealistic to expect Ezeudu to replicate the level of production Thomas brings, he may serve as a solid reinforcement to help improve the line at either right guard or as the backup left tackle. It will be interesting to see if the Giants give him the opportunity to step into a starting role after Sunday’s horrendous loss.
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