Giants Have a Glaring Weakness at Center — And an Old Friend Could Be the Fix

The New York Giants have invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason, bringing right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor back on a three-year, $39 million deal and using the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on right guard Francis Mauigoa.

Still, the unit has one significant glaring weaknesses.

Center John Michael Schmitz Jr. is entering his fourth season as a starter. He has improved since his abysmal rookie season, but still gave the Giants average center play at best in 2025. Schmitz allowed 14 pressures and one sack, posting a mediocre overall PFF grade of 60.8.

Schmitz suffered a head injury during a training camp practice on Friday and has since missed two practices. Meanwhile, his backup, Lucas Patrick, has been dealing with a knee issue, which has raised questions about whether he can be counted on for the season.

Bryan Hudson, who came to the Giants in 2024 after a stint on the Lions practice squad and with the Patriots, has been working with the first-team offense.

Hudson has drawn positive reviews from Harbaugh, who said, “I think he's done really well. You know, it's funny because we did feel like we needed to get him in there, even with the twos, and then now with the ones, and he's risen to the occasion so far.”

That all said, the position group, which also includes newly signed Brenden Jaimes, is still painfully thin and is one more injury away from catastrophe. The Giants need to consider bringing in another, more experienced option.

Old Friend Greg Van Roten is Still Out There

Free-agent IOL Greg Van Roten is still available to be signed. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Giants decided to move on from veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten this past offseason. Whether that was because they wanted to upgrade or Van Roten was looking for more than what the team was willing to pay isn’t known.

But given the situation at center, it might not be a bad idea to revisit a possible third season in Blue for the Long Island native.

Van Roten recently worked out for the New England Patriots, but as of this moment, no deal has been agreed to. That means that Van Roten is still interested in playing somewhere and is thought to still be in playing shape.

While it’s understandable that the Giants want to get younger and more toward a people-mover type of offensive line, the versatile Van Roten isn’t necessarily a bad option should Hudson and Jaimes not deliver in the upcoming preseason slate.

In 2025, Van Roten, playing at right guard, finished with a 97.7 pass-blocking efficiency rating. In 2024, he saw 138 snaps at center in place of Schmitz and gave up just two pressures, none of which were sacks.

Bringing in Van Roten wouldn’t just help reinforce the center spot, but he’d also help to reinforce both guard positions, where depth is also something of a concern.

In short, it makes too much sense not to explore a reunion with Van Roten given Schmitz’s history of missing multiple games every season he’s been in the NFL, and the current state of the offensive line’s interior depth.

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