New York Giants 2022 Training Camp Roster Preview: iOL Jon Feliciano

Jon Feliciano joins the Giants from Buffalo and in a key role for Brian Daboll's offense.

Throughout most of his career, New York Giants offensive lineman Jon Feliciano was a backup on some of the most talented offensive line units in the NFL, including the Raiders (who drafted him in 2015 in the fourth round) and the Bills.

After spending three seasons in Buffalo, where he split his time between right guard and center, Feliciano reunites with Brian Daboll, the former Bills offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson in New York for a role as the team's starting center. 

In his first season in Buffalo, Feliciano started all 16 games for the first time in his career. After dealing with injuries (but still playing in nine games), he re-signed with the Bills on a three-year contract worth $17 million. 

However, Feliciano would only play one year on that contract, as the Bills released him to save on their salary cap. He signed with the Giants as part of their revamped offensive line project.

Injuries have been an issue for Feliciano, as he’s played in just 18 games with 15 starts since 2020. He's looking to cash in on the opportunity to re-establish himself as a starter and as a center with his old offensive coordinator.

What He Brings

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Feliciano has started games at left guard, right guard, and center, offering positional versatility on the interior offensive line, where the Giants have struggled in recent years. Feliciano has also sporadically played as an extra lineman lined up in the tight end spot.

In 2019, Feliciano’s last year in Buffalo as a full-time starter, he allowed 24 pressures on 617 pass-blocking snaps. That means Feliciano allowed pressures on just 3.89% of pass-blocking snaps.

By comparison, interior offensive linemen Will Hernandez and Matt Skura, the two players who saw the most pass-blocking snaps in 2021 for the Giants, allowed pressures on 5.73% and 6.77% of pass-blocking snaps.

More recently, Feliciano allowed pressures on 6.45% of his pass-blocking snaps in 2020 and 5.5% in 2021. In those three seasons, all under Daboll in Buffalo, Feliciano allowed just five sacks, with four coming in 2019.

Feliciano has been hit-and-miss as a run-blocker, garnering run-blocking grades of 63.3, 76.1, and 57.2 from 2019 through 2021, according to Pro Football Focus. Throughout his career, Feliciano has proven he is agile, effective enough as a zone blocker, and powerful enough to be relied upon in a gap-blocking scheme.

Feliciano’s nasty demeanor--offensive line coach Bobby Johnson affectionately calls Feliciano "Dirt Bag"--has gotten him in trouble before, as he's amassed 12 penalties over the past three seasons.

That being said, Feliciano knows Daboll's system, and with the Giants looking to hit the ground running on offense, that experience and knowledge should hopefully benefit the offense.

His Contract

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Feliciano signed his contract with the Giants on March 16, 2022. The deal is a one-year contract worth $3.25 million with $2.4 million guaranteed.

If the Giants were to move on from Feliciano (unlikely given the investment), he would still be owed that $2.4 million, yielding just $497,059 in cap space. Feliciano accounts for 1.4% of the Giants' salary cap in 2022.

Feliciano carries the 16th heaviest cap hit on the Giants roster for the 2022 season.

Roster Projection/Expectations

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Feliciano was signed to be the starting center of the Giants in 2022. The ability to play multiple positions at a starter-quality level is crucial for both Feliciano and the Giants. Daboll and Johnson have shown that they like Feliciano as a player and will utilize him at whatever spot along the interior offensive line he is needed.

As a veteran presence on the field, Feliciano can also mentor younger players on the Giants' offensive line. But the biggest expectation for him is that his familiarity with the Bills' offensive philosophies being incorporated into the Giants' system should help take some of the pressure off quarterback Daniel Jones and, hopefully, get the new offensive line up and running like a well-oiled machine. 

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