The New York Giants made a significant effort to upgrade their offensive line on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period. They signed two starting offensive linemen on Monday, revamping the unit in preparation for a crucial 2024 season.
Giants add talent to the offensive line in free agency
On the first day of the legal tampering period, the Giants added two offensive linemen to bolster their unit. They signed veteran OT Jermaine Eluemunor and versatile OG Jon Runyan to multi-year deals.
Eluemunor is a 29-year-old right tackle who spent the past three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. He will reunite with the Giants’ new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo who held the same position with the Raiders the past two years.
Runyan is a 26-year-old offensive guard who has played on both sides of the line in his career. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers.
What the Giants’ offensive line will look like in 2024:
With the Giants’ new signings, their starting five up front will look a lot different in 2024. Some holdovers will remain, but change will likely come at three of the five starting positions in the Giants’ lineup:
Giants’ Projected Starting Offensive Line in 2024:
- LT Andrew Thomas
- LG Jon Runyan
- C John Michael Schmitz
- RG Evan Neal
- RT Jermaine Eluemunor
LT Andrew Thomas and C John Michael Schmitz are the only two starters who are projected to maintain their positions next season. The other starter from last season, RT Evan Neal, is likely to move inside to guard this season after the signing of Eluemunor.
It’s also possible the Giants opt to move Neal to left guard instead, where he played during his time in college at Alabama. However, Runyan has proven to be a much higher-quality left guard than right guard in recent years, which might incentivize the Giants to train Neal on the right side. Neal will still have a chance to compete with Eluemunor for the starting right tackle job, but moving him two one of the two guard spots feels inevitable.
Runyan posted a 76.4 pass-pro grade (top-15) at left guard to open the 2022 season before being moved to right guard full-time. His numbers took a hit after moving to right guard.
On paper, this projected starting five looks significantly better than the one the Giants trotted out onto the field last season. In 2023, New York surrendered a league-high 85 sacks. That figure needs to come down in 2024. Adding talent to the offensive line was a top priority for general manager Joe Schoen entering this offseason.
One day into the start of free agency, and he has certainly accomplished his goal of upgrading the front line. The Giants will hope that their efforts to upgrade the unit on paper translate to the football field this season.