Giants have worst offensive line in NFL after draft and free agency, Pro Football Focus says
The Giants have the “weakest” offensive line in the NFL after free agency and the draft, as judged by analytics site Pro Football Focus.
Co-owner John Mara said in March that “a priority going into this offseason was to get the offensive line fixed.”
But PFF was not impressed by how the signings of Packers guard Jon Runyan, Raiders tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, Bucs guard Aaron Stinnie, Vikings backup center Austin Schlottmann and Lions backup tackle Matt Nelson will impact the Giants’ bottom line.
Schoen did not select a lineman with any of his six NFL Draft picks.
“Even after earning the worst offensive line grade of any team in 2023, the Giants did very little to improve their unit this offseason,” the site commented, calling the Detroit Lions the league’s ‘strongest’ O-line. “The group recorded a 44.6 PFF grade last year and will hope a fully healthy Andrew Thomas and the additions of guard Jon Runyan (56.5 PFF grade in 2023) and tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (68.7) can provide a boost.”
PFF grades are subjective, obviously. And the Giants have added offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, assistant O-line coach James Ferentz and senior scout Chris Snee to beef up their personnel evaluation and development of that position group.
Still, the Giants’ 2023 line ranked as PFF’s dead-last, No. 32 pass-blocking unit (43.4) and the NFL’s No. 30 run-blocking group (41.1). They allowed 85 sacks, the second most all-time by any team, a statistic that ballooned especially when third-string QB Tommy DeVito was playing.
Schoen has noted frequently that injuries, led by Thomas’ extended absence at left tackle, devastated the Giants’ front last season.
“Fortunately, I’ve never run into a situation like that before where we’ve been decimated at the offensive line,” Schoen said in March. “You’ve seen a lot of the signings that we’ve had, a lot of guys that have played in the league and have started games and have versatility. That’s always going to be a priority.”
The Giants are responsible for how they prepare their players’ bodies for game action, however. And last season’s depth plan of Matt Peart and Josh Ezeudu at tackle was ill-conceived.
So was the three-man guard competition in camp before kicking Ezeudu outside to protect Daniel Jones’ blindside. Not to mention the biggest issue:
Schoen’s 2022 No. 7 overall pick Evan Neal so far hasn’t figured it out. And a misdiagnosed ankle injury prevented Neal from getting back on the field late last season to find a rhythm. He had surgery to repair the fracture.
“Let’s face it: for a while we couldn’t block anybody,” Mara said. “And Daniel was getting hit all the time.”
The Giants’ 2024 starting five projects as Thomas at left tackle, Stinnie at left guard, 2023 second-round pick John Michael Schmitz at center, Runyan Jr. at right guard and either Neal or Eluemunor at right tackle.
Offseason workouts and training camp will settle that. Eluemunor did get paid starter money.
Bricillo is the Giants’ eighth offensive line coach in 10 seasons. That is a staggering statistic, but it’s also reflective of how consistently bad the Giants have been at assembling a capable front.
“You’re right, it’s ridiculous,” Mara said at the March NFL Owners meetings. “And it’s a continuing source of frustration for me. It’s time to get it fixed.
“We invested a couple No. 1 draft picks in the offensive tackles, got a No. 2 draft pick playing center. Now we spent some money in free agency, a new offensive line coach. I expect us to be a hell of a lot better.”
In May, at least, PFF doesn’t see much improvement.
Happy 100th
The Giants unveiled their plans to celebrate the franchise’s 100th season on Monday, including a special logo and clothing line, a planned ‘Top 100 Players’ in Giants history rollout and more. The organization will be hosting an event called “Giants 100: A Night With Legends” on June 20 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden to celebrate with fans.
The evening will include panel discussions about the team’s history, a 2024 season preview with current players and staff, artifacts from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and 100th season merchandise. More than 20 legends are expected to participate, including Eli Manning, Harry Carson, Tiki Barber, George Martin, Jason Sehorn, Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin.
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