New York Giants 2022 Training Camp Roster Preview: iOL Nick Gates

After playing three seasons in college at the University of Nebraska, New York Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates declared for the 2018 NFL Draft but went undrafted. That May, the Giants signed Gates as an undrafted rookie, only to have him sit on the injured reserve for the entire season due to a foot injury.

It wasn’t until 2019 that Gates logged in his first season for the Giants. He was a reserve offensive lineman who was inserted into a few different spots when injuries hit the unit.

Collecting a total of 290 snaps while starting in three of the 16 games he played that season, Gates recorded 198 snaps at right tackle, 77 at right guard, and another 15 at the interior tight end slot. When he wasn’t deployed on the offensive line, Gates was active on special teams as part of the field goal and extra point blocking units.

In 2020, Gates logged in his most productive season, starting all 16 games from the center position, which he had never played at the NFL level. Gates was solid and retained the starting center position the following season.

However, in the second game of the 2021 campaign, Gates suffered a brutal lower-leg fracture that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Although he has been progressing with rehab, his status for 2022 is uncertain.

What He Brings

Gates brings an array of strengths and versatility and showed a promising balance with his pass and run blocking that led him to an increased role the following season.

Despite allowing a career-high 16 pressures, Gates posted the lowest pressure total amongst all Giants starters in 2020 and did not allow a single sack in the process. He also secured the highest pass-blocking efficiency rating among the Giants offensive linemen (98.6 percent).

Last year, Gates was named one of the team’s captains and seemed poised to have another big season for the Giants, posting a 100% pass-blocking efficiency rating in their first game against the Broncos. The following week, Gates put his versatility on display, spending 13 snaps at left guard before his injury.

With his leadership and teamwork mentality, Gates is also a great locker room presence. Even after he sustained such a serious injury, Gates took it upon himself to do what he could to be there for his teammates just as soon as he could. Having those kinds of players is invaluable.

His Contract

Gates signed a two-year deal worth $6.825 million in 2020. When he signed, he was guaranteed $3.17 million, with just about half of that guarantee consisting of his signing bonus ($1.5 million).

Gates does have a cap hit of a little over $3 million this year and will potentially have the opportunity to secure a total of $425,000 in per-game bonuses in this final year of his contract. Should the Giants choose to cut him before he becomes a free agent next year, it would cost them $879,167 in dead money, assuming he doesn't have an injury protection waiver in place.

Roster Projection/Expectation

The tough part about Gates moving forward is that there’s no timetable when he could return this season--if at all. Gates has now had seven surgeries on his leg and is expected to start training camp next month on PUP, which is why it’s best to keep our expectations for Gates' on-field contributions very low this season.

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