When Dave Gettleman took over as the New York Giants general manager in late 2017, he vowed a return to the dominating offensive lines of the past. The Giants had won four Super Bowls with a collection of “hog mollies” leading the way in the trenches.
Gettleman immediately sought to upgrade by signing left tackle Nate Solder in free agency and then drafted guard Will Hernandez in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The next offseason, he acquired guard Kevin Zeitler in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade with Cleveland.
This offseason, Gettleman continued his overhaul by using three of his first five draft picks on the offensive line (Andrew Thomas, Matthew Peart and Shane Lemieux), while also signing veteran swing tackle Cam Fleming in free agency.
That has led some critics to re-evaluate the status of the Giants’ line, which has been mired in the bottom half or bottom third of the league the past few years.
“In a short time, this has gone from a bottom-five offensive line that should rank in the top half of the league with a ceiling even higher due to the presence of (first-round pick Andrew) Thomas,” said a former NFC Scout as per SI.com. “In a short time this has gone from a bottom-five offensive line that should rank in the top half of the league with a ceiling even higher due to the presence of Thomas.”
There’s still a lot of tweaking to be done. Guards Hernandez and Zeitler are the only names cemented in going into training camp. The tackle positions are up for grabs with Thomas expected to displace Solder at left tackle at some point which would slide Solder over to the right side to compete with a slew of others, including Fleming, Peart and Nick Gates.
The center role is still very much in flux with Spencer Pulley the only experienced hand on the roster. The Giants intend to pit Lemieux and Gates against Pulley in camp along with last year’s starter, Jon Halapio, who is currently unsigned and rehabbing from an Achilles injury.
[lawrence-related id=650006,650000,649995]