Giants Player Profile | Chad Slade, OL
2019 Season Rewind
Slade signed as a free agent with the Giants January 2019. He was inactive for all 16 games. Slade spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Houston Texans.
They signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2015 after being a four-year starter at Auburn University. His 49 career starts were the second most among SEC offensive lineman and fourth-most in Auburn history.
That 2015 season, he was placed on injured reserve and missed the entire year. He spent the 2016 season and the majority of the 2017 season on the Texans practice squad. In late November 2017, he was elevated to the active roster. Slade played in the final five games of the season that year.
He got the opportunity to start the final three games, one at tight end vs.San Francisco and two at right guard against Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. In those last three games, the run offense average 116 yards per game, including 176 yards versus the Steelers in week 16.
That effort did not get him to stick on the active roster. He was waived and placed on the practice squad for the entire 2018 season before heading to New York.
Looking Ahead
Slade is in an unenviable position. The offensive line room is just too crowded. Slade does have versatility playing guard, tackle, and heavy tight end in packages, but he's not going to beat any of the starters out.
What further complicates the situation is that they have flooded the room with a slew of promising rookie prospects. This means that not only will it be near impossible to end up as one of the eight or nine linemen on the final roster, it will also be challenging to find a home on their practice squad.
Slade is primarily a guard. Will Hernandez has started 32 straight games, and at 24 years old, he's in the Giants present and plans.
Kevin Zeitler is only 30 years old and is definitely in the present plans on the offensive line. He's been a quality starter for eight seasons and performed well for the Giants.
Nick Gates is a young and improving swing guard, and Kyle Murphy from Rhode Island has played every offensive line position. The deck is stacked against Slade.
It's going to be an uphill battle for Slade when you consider all the factors. It will not only be challenging to get snaps in practice but in exhibition games as well.
With so many young linemen with no NFL experience so they will get the lion's share of the backup snaps. Slade has proven worth to be in the league, so it will be in his best interest to perform his best because he's likely auditioning for another team.
And there's always the chance that he impresses enough that he sends one of the young pups packing or to the practice squad.
