{"id":244097,"date":"2021-05-07T04:38:26","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T01:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/giants-banking-offensive-line-will-take-next-step-forward\/"},"modified":"2021-05-07T04:38:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T01:38:26","slug":"giants-banking-offensive-line-will-take-next-step-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/giants-banking-offensive-line-will-take-next-step-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"#Giants banking offensive line will take next step forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Giants banking offensive line will take next step forward<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Think of it this way, if you will: If the Giants looked at their offensive line, as presently constituted, and decided, \u201cNot nearly good enough,\u2019\u2019 it would be an indictment of what they put together one year ago.<\/p>\n

Lest we forget, the Giants came out of the 2020 draft with three offensive linemen \u2014 taking one in the first (Andrew Thomas), third (Matt Peart) and fifth (Shane Lemieux) rounds. If all three are not in the plans in a major way a year later, something is wrong with that draft haul, and the evaluators who came together to make those selections have some explaining to do.<\/p>\n

Guess what? All three are in the plans, in a big way. This is the main reason why the Giants did not select an offensive lineman with any of their six picks in the 2021 draft.<\/p>\n

They did not go into the three-day event steering clear of this position group. They had a few offensive linemen lined up, but their value of the player never matched up with the grade on the draft board. They liked Liam Eichenberg from Notre Dame, but he went to the Dolphins at No. 42 in the second round, the pick the Giants gave up to drop down to No. 50.<\/p>\n

There was absolutely no hint of desperation that, \u201cWe have to get one somewhere in this draft.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"foundation
The Giants believe they have established a foundation for a strong offensive line with center Nick Gates (65) and Shane Lemieux (66) and Andrew Thomas (right), along with Wil Hernandez and Matt Peart. <\/figcaption>
Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a simple explanation for this: As general<\/a> manager Dave Gettleman stated, succinctly, those inside the building \u2014 the front office and coaching staff \u2014 believe in their offensive linemen a great deal more than anyone outside the building.<\/p>\n

Gettleman said he is extremely pleased with the talent he added during the \u201croster-building season.\u2019\u2019 Daniel Jones, entering Year 3, gets to throw to marquee free-agent signing Kenny Golladay and first-round pick Kadarius Toney \u2014 in addition to handing the ball or throwing it to Saquon Barkley, coming back from knee surgery.<\/p>\n

Can the Giants protect Jones sufficiently? There has been little in the way of renovation to the offensive line. They released Kevin Zeitler, the steady 31-year old right guard, saving $12 million on the salary cap. They welcomed back veteran tackle Nate Solder, who opted out in 2020, but only after Solder accepted a significant slash in his salary.<\/p>\n

The Giants believe they addressed their needs, as far as adding experienced players for depth purposes. Solder (127 NFL starts) is the swing-tackle backup, and Zach Fulton (90 starts) and Jonotthan Harrison (42 starts) are the primary reserves on the interior. The quality of this depth is up for debate.<\/p>\n

The way things shape up in early May, the Giants, from left to right, line up with Thomas, Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez and Peart as the starting group.<\/p>\n

If this is the five-man starting unit, can it get the job done?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they can,\u2019\u2019 Chris Snee, a four-time Pro Bowl guard for the Giants and most recently an offensive line scout for the Jaguars, told The Post. \u201cObviously the Giants organization thinks they can, so I hope they can. Myself and all the guys that have worn the colors have kind of been rooting for that unit to get back to what it was. It has been down for a while.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n