Offensive Line Preview | Better or Different?
Offensive Line
WHO THEY HAVE: OT Nate Solder (UFA-18/NE), OG Will Hernandez (D2/18), G/C Spencer Pulley (WA/18), OG Kevin Zeitler (TR/19); OT Andrew Thomas (D1/20), OT Matt Peart (D3/20), G/C Shane Lemieux (D5/20), G/T Nick Gates (UDFA/18), OT Cam Fleming (UFA/20), G/T Chad Slade (FA/10), G/T Eric Smith (WA/19), IOL Nate Wozniak (FA/19), OL Kyle Murphy (UDFA/20), OL Tyler Haycraft (UDFA/20)
KEY ADDITIONS: OT Andrew Thomas (D1/20), OT Matt Peart (D3/20), IOL Shane Lemieux (D5/20), OT Cam Fleming (UFA-20/DAL)
KEY LOSSES: OT Mike Remmers (UFA/KC); IOL Jon Halapio (UFA/Unsigned)
WHERE THINGS STAND: The Giants added three premium draft picks to shore up the offensive line’s most considerable areas of weakness. These include offensive tackle, where last year’s duo of Nate Solder and Mike Remmers combined to allow 96 pass pressures, and center, where the team doesn’t appear to have a long-term plan.
Head coach Joe Judge has said all along that he wants to see competition across the board. This unit group is going to be loaded in terms of competition, starting at right tackle, where one of Nick Gates, Matt Peart, Andrew Thomas, and Cam Fleming figures to be in the mix (assuming that the coaches leave Nate Solder at left tackle).
Logic would dictate that if he’s healthy, Thomas is going to be one of the starting tackles, which would mean that we’re not looking at much of a competition at all if the plan is to leave Solder at left tackle.
But if the coaches decide to plug Thomas in at left tackle, the position he played at Georgia (and a move I fully endorse given the absence of the spring football practices where experiments with position switches are typically conducted), logic would dictate that Solder, the veteran of the group, switch to the right side.
But even that’s not a guarantee. Although people will look at the fact that Solder has the highest cap figure on the team this year and was paid a $3 million signing bonus in March, Judge doesn’t sound like a coach who cares about that stuff. And for as experienced as Solder is, switching from the left side to the right isn’t as easy as people think.
Does this mean that Gates, who played well enough to challenge a starting job last year, has the advantage? It could, but then again, depending on whether Gates is in the mix at center—more on that moment.
Peart, the rookie out of UConn, is likely a year away from starting, though he’ll get his opportunities to contribute. And Fleming, the unrestricted free agent signing from Dallas, figures to be the swing tackle as he’s the only guy among the tackles who’s played both sides and held his own at each.
At center, both Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman have mentioned Gates as a possibility for the role, but I would be surprised if it happens for several reasons. The biggest one, in my mind, is a lack of live experience.
Although Gates has taken practice reps at the spot as recently as last year, again, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out spring practices, now is not the time to be messing with position changes.
The other concern that accompanies that is that behind him would be a second-year quarterback who last year was getting his feet wet with making calls and identifying defenses. With a new offense put in place, wouldn’t it make sense to have an experienced center like Spencer Pulley making the protection calls until Jones gets up to speed and entirely comfortable in the new offensive system Jason Garret is implementing?
WHERE WE GO FROM HERE: Better or different? That’s the question the Giants and their fans have been asking every year since 2018 when general manager Dave Gettleman openly declared that the offensive line had to be fixed.
Thus far, the answer to the question hasn’t been the one for which everyone hoped, as while the faces have changed, the results have been the same.
But for Giants fans who are looking for hope, I will submit to you a couple of reasons to be optimistic. First, unlike the first two attempts at rebuilding the offensive line, this year, you’re going to see a lot more competition at the right tackle and center.
Second, the Giants have something that they haven’t had in the last two years: depth at every position on the offensive line. This is important because if a player gets banged up to where his play starts to suffer, now the coaching staff has options if they need to make a judgment call.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the addition of Marc Columbo as the offensive line coach. There is much to be said about a former NFL player who becomes a coach. I’ve had several players who were coached by a former player not too far removed from the game tell me that such an arrangement offers a different perspective in terms of little tricks that can be deployed to one’s advantage.
With all that said, we’re still several months away from getting the answer as to whether the 2020 version of the Giants offensive line will be better or different. But one thing is for sure. They’ve done everything possible to ensure they have all the elements in place to ensure that the answer is one for which that everyone from the fans to the team itself is hoping.
