Going into the off-season, the New York Giants assumed that second-year offensive tackle Matt Peart would give veteran Nate Solder a run for his money at right tackle. After Solder opted out for the 2020 season due to COVID-19, Peart displayed signs of growth and adequacy as a rookie, but he lost out badly during the position battle for the starting job this pre-season.
In fact, Peart has only played 19 snaps this year, all of them coming in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. He allowed one QB hit and a pressure during that time, quickly being supplemented for Solder as the Giants ended the competition and gave the more experienced option the job.
However, the Giants aren’t giving up on the Connecticut product just yet, as they’re making a proactive decision to cross-train him at guard. This is a decision the former coaching staff failed to make with Ereck Flowers, forcing him to play left tackle despite significant issues. Peart, who stands at 6’7″ and over 300-pounds, would be a huge body in the interior. With superior athleticism, if he can develop his fundamentals, he could end up being an adequate option, which would be a definitive change in strategy.
Head coach Joe Judge indicated as much as Peart begins to earn reps with the second-team during practice at guard.
“We’re going to rotate Matt on through the tackle position,†Judge said. “We’ll kind of take a look at him maybe playing some stuff inside as we get going right here. We’ll kind of work around through practice these next few days and kind of see where things shake out.
I wouldn’t expect to see Peart starting at LG anytime soon, as the Giants have been Bredeson, for who they traded a fourth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. While he’s shown flashes in run-blocking, his pass-protection has been spotty at best. He has allowed five hurries and five pressures over 100 snaps this year. The Giants started Center Nick Gates at left guard against Washington before he suffered a gruesome lower leg injury, forcing Bredeson into the starting spot.
Taking a more progressive approach toward Peart is a great move by the coaching staff and one that will hopefully pan out in the future. The Giants might try to sprinkle him in to get his feet wet against the Falcons, but unless something serious happens to Bredeson, I expect him to remain the starter moving forward.