By: Jake Rajala

The New York Giants offensive line unit was quite dreadful for the young quarterback Daniel Jones and the utterly explosive running back Saquon Barkley in 2021. Pro Football Focus graded the Giants OL as the 30th best OL at the end of last season. There wasn’t a single offensive lineman not named Andrew Thomas that garnered a grade above 62.3 on the Giants OL. With that said, the Giants ought to be given props for bulking up their OL this off-season with impressive profiles. The Giants brought in two veterans: Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano. Furthermore, they drafted Evan Neal in the first round and Joshua Ezeudu in the third round.

Glowinski can be a sound and reliable guard for the GMEN. He’s a quality run blocker, he only allowed two sacks last season, and he’s only missed one game over the past three seasons. He signed a three-year contract worth $18.3 million dollars.

The former Indianapolis Colt has had a positive impression of his rookie teammate that was selected seventh overall thus far. Glowinski has expressed that Neal has been a stud this off-season. Per GMEN HQ, Glowinksi stated, “As long as he gets his hands on guys, that’s the end of the story. So, just making sure that we put him in the right place, make sure that he is doing the right things. He has come along drastically every day, learning more and more.”

The Giants OL should flash greatness in 2022 and it’s also inspiring that many faces on the Giants OL are young. PFF recently ranked the Giants OL as the 18th best OL unit, so it’s clear the Giants OL should be a noticeably different animal from a season ago. The Giants exceptionally talented ball carrier should really benefit from the Giants new-look OL. Barkley has missed 18 games in the past two seasons combined and he also has been a shell of his once self on the field: 627 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs in the past two seasons combined.

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The New York Giants offensive line outlook in 2022

By: Charlie Vakassian

The Giants struggled immensely in 2021, and one of the biggest issues was the offensive line. Left tackle Andrew Thomas was excellent, but every other position on the line was brutally bad or below average.

RT Nate Solder is flat-out washed and he will likely retire, C Billy Price was below average, and Matt Skura/Will Hernandez was simply bad at the guard spots. Whoever is hired as the next GM will have to essentially rebuild 80% of the line.

Here are the top two paths to building a quality offensive line and the prospects that would fit the best.

Draft Options

Luckily for the Giants, the draft is chock full of high-quality offensive linemen. There are several players vying for the right to be the first lineman selected. The big names at tackle are Ikem Ekwonu, Evan Neal, and Charles Cross. Ekwonu is the most versatile and has shown the ability to be a nasty road grader at guard or tackle in the run game. Neal is the most physically impressive, at 6’7″ and 350 pounds, he is incredibly agile for his size. Cross has the best football IQ of the three and is excellent at picking up stunts and blitzes from opposing linemen. At guard, Kenyon Green is the clear leader of the pack, unless you count Ekwonu. Green has an explosive stance and uses his immense strength to win at the point of attack. At the center position, Tyler Linderbaum is the hands-down best prospect at the position in a very long time. Weighing in at just under 290 pounds, he has amazing speed and athleticism, moving to the second level when blocking ridiculously fast. He is also one of the toughest players in college football, routinely taking his assigned block down to the ground.

Free Agency/Trade Options

As previously stated in other position overviews, the Giants have almost no cap space, so they will be shopping in the cheap section, even when cuts are made. Some names to keep an eye on include guys like Laken Tomlinson and Ted Karras at guard, and Eric Fisher and Riley Reiff at the tackle spots. The trade market is unlikely to be used, although we could see a mid to late pick sent for a swing lineman, similar to the trade made for Ben Bredeson before last season.

Concluding Thoughts

This is the most pressing need for the Giants without a question. At least one of the first-round picks they possess has to be used on an offensive lineman, and another early pick should be used on one too. Two new starters have to be added at a bare minimum. Part of the reason Daniel Jones has been so bad is that he never has time to stay in the pocket and make his reads. With better talent in the trenches, hopefully, the Giants can lock down the offensive line and get a better long-term reading on Jones.

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By: Charlie Vakassian

I have been watching the Giants ever since I was a little kid. There have been so many heroic moments: The Helmet Catch in 2007. The improbable run in 2011.

Stars like Michael Strahan, Eli Manning, and Odell Beckham have worn the blue with pride. This is why it’s a real shame to see a once-proud franchise fallen hard so far. The Giants once again showed their amazing ineptitude on Sunday, losing a game that seemed close, but was never within reach. Let’s take a look at the performances on each side of the ball, and what comes next.

Offense

Just another all-around miserable performance by an offensive unit that has shown it cannot move the ball at all. Jake Fromm looked uncomfortable all game and was constantly under pressure by the Washington front four. He only completed 15 of 31 passes for 103 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, as well as a bad fumble where he tried to throw a forward pass and the ball simply slipped out of his hands.

Saquon Barkley never got going, with only 30 yards on 11 carries. Fromm was the leading rusher with 53 yards on a few scrambles. Yes, you read that correctly. Darius Slayton caught the lone TD of the day for New York. The offensive line was in tatters, and aside from Andrew Thomas, everyone was constantly getting beat. Simply put, the Giants need new starters at four offensive line spots.

The final straw was when the Giants were backed up inside their own five yard line, and on back to back plays, head coach Joe Judge called for QB sneaks in what was essentially victory formation, to avoid a safety. Two straight give-up plays, and it enabled Washington to get the ball back with good field position.

Those two play calls were basically a surrender. I have never seen anything like it in all my years of watching football.

Defense

I feel so bad for the defense. They leave their hearts out on the field, only to consistently get let down by an atrocious offense. Leonard Williams and Lorenzo Carter both notched sacks. Dexter Lawrence and Azeez Ojulari were getting pressure often, and even the secondary did their jobs. Being on the field for so long, along with the turnovers on offense, led to them eventually wilting in the fourth quarter, allowing the WFT to pull away.

If there is one thing this defense needs, it is an alpha pass rusher. If Kayvon Thibodeaux or Aidan Hutchinson is available at pick 5, they need Roger Goodell to run to that podium.

Special Teams

Alex Bachmann had a solid punt return for 16 yards the lone opportunity he got. Graham Gano hit his extra point, but had no FG opportunities.

Riley Dixon, who is a disappointment this season, actually got off some impressive punts, averaging 51 yards per punt in six tries, landing one inside the 20. Special teams coverage was good, holding dangerous return man DeAndre Carter to less than six yards per return on four punt returns.

Coaching

Joe Judge was in fact fired. It was deemed Mission Impossible for the Giants to lure in the right GM with the head coach that would make him run laps if he messed up, so they opted to finally pull the plug on Judge.

Final Thoughts/Offseason Sneak Peek

So the Giants season ends not with a bang, but a whimper. There are a lot of changes that are going to be made. General Manager Dave Gettleman is retiring, and Joe Judge may be on the hot seat himself.

Evan Engram and Jabrill Peppers are key free agents. There will need to be new starters on the offensive line, as well as tight end, linebacker, and on the edge.

The draft is going to be huge, as the new GM will have a a lot of early picks (5,7,36,67,81) to fill a lot of holes. Free agency will have to be a lot of bargain bin shopping, as there is little to no cap space right now, although cuts can be made to free up some room.

Next week we will do positional breakdowns, as well as potential free agency/draft options at said positions.

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