New York Giants Training Camp Player Preview: OT Jermaine Eluemunor

Is the veteran swing tackle Jermaine Eluemunor fully in control as the starter on the right side of the Giants offensive line?

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants guard Jermaine Eluemunor (72) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

For anyone who has closely followed the endless rollercoaster that is the New York Giants rebuild, one of the constant mechanical problems stopping the ride has been their inability to yield a complete and capable offensive line. 

The only positive player they’ve seemed to nail down is the left tackle spot, held by All-Pro Andrew Thomas, whom they selected as a top 5 pick in 2020. However, much of his impact has been contingent upon his overall health, which fluctuated significantly throughout his tenure. 

The rest of the offensive line has remained in limbo as both veteran free-agent acquisitions and draft picks have struggled to plug the holes. In particular, the right tackle position, which is opposite Thomas, has remained a focus as it has been nothing but a turnstile for opposing edge rushers.

That was until the Giants went out and signed veteran swing tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, a former starter with the Las Vegas Raiders who came over to New York with current offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo last offseason. 

With Eluemunor’s presence, the right tackle spot started to see a resurgence in 2024, and it looks like he could become the second definitive puzzle piece that the franchise needs on the line of scrimmage for the long haul.

Having the 30-year-old lineman is not only giving the Giants a versatile asset to account for injuries or depth issues, but it’s also starting to reshape how the rest of the position group can come together. 

They’ve been working hard at the guard spots, which remain a little weak, but have some new players coming in and are trying out former first-round pick Evan Neal, the predecessor to Eluemunor whose development hasn’t gone to plan as a tackle at this level. 

After Thomas went down with a season-ending injury early last year, Eluemunor stepped up big and became the Giants most efficient pass protector, offering them an ability to try out different lineups in the interior of the offensive line and know that at least they’ve finally nailed down the two men on the edges so long as health stays in check.

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Jermaine Eluemunor, OT

• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 330 lbs
• Exp: 9 Years
• School: Texas A&M
• How Acquired: FA-24

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2024 in Review

Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants OL Jermaine Eluemunor (72) takes the field for action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Despite changing teams in the offseason, which could cause some player stats to drop, Jermaine Eluemunor's transition to East Rutherford seemed to be seamless. Whether it was his continued tutelage with Bricillo or the experience he amassed in Las Vegas (or both), the offensive tackle improved nearly all the important pass-blocking metrics in year one as a Giant.

Eluemunor played in 579 snaps, the second most of his career and third highest on the team, while posting a 71.0 PFF pass-blocking grade that was also the greatest mark of the same span. In that workload, he held a 96.9 efficiency score by allowing 29 total pressures, including nine hits and four sacks. 

As a run protector, Eluemunor’s numbers weren’t as pleasing, though. He saw 346 run-blocking snaps, his third straight year with at least that many reps, but his grading in that area dropped from 71.5 and higher over the previous two seasons to 56.9 in his Giants debut, which only added to the team’s struggles to push the leather on the ground around the edges later in the season.

Nevertheless, the veteran did whatever was asked of him in terms of where he played along the offensive front. His first nine games saw him stay at the right tackle spot, where he didn’t give up a sack through the first seven contests, but with injuries later on, he was transitioned to left tackle from Weeks 10-18, and the strong showing continued with only two sacks under his watch. 

The only revealing stat that Eluemunor must improve if he wants to have an even better campaign in 2025 is the penalties, as he posted a career-high 10 infractions in pass protection. He has done that twice since 2022, and that’s a flaw that the Giants can’t have if they want their passing game to be more successful.

Contract/Cap Info

Eluemunor is entering the second season of a two-year, $14 million contract that he signed with the Giants before the 2024 season. The total agreement with the Giants marked him the 20th highest-paid offensive tackle in the league, according to Over the Cap’s data. 

The deal carries a $9.19 million cap hit for the 2025 season, which is the 10th-highest number on the Giant's total cap space for the active roster. It also guaranteed Eluemunor $6.75 million over the life of the contract, of which $2.75 million still exists for the upcoming year. 

2025 Preview

With fellow offensive lineman Even Neal looking to transition to guard, the starting right tackle spot is Eluemunor’s to lose as he enters a key contract year. 

His numbers in his Giants debut were mostly promising for a franchise that’s been trying desperately to get a lineup that remains on the field and works to keep the quarterback upright and the offense moving. If he continues to build upon the effort he gave in 2024, the Giants will have two solid players on the bookends who can then focus on getting the rest of the line to step up their games.

Eluemunor, as already noted, just needs to clean up his miscues in one-on-one matchups where he falls prone to holding infractions, and that isn’t his typical game, as his early professional resume suggests. 

If he can do that, what is there to say he can’t have a better season in year two with a healthier front and a revamped offense that needs his solid protection? 

It’ll also be interesting to see how much of a mentor Eluemunor becomes for younger players, such as rookie Marcus Mbow, who hopes to become a versatile NFL lineman like Eluemunor has been during his nine-year journey. 

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