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One of the most heated positional battles for the New York Giants headed into the 2021 season is the competition for right tackle. As of now, it appears that Andrew Thomas is slated to start again at left tackle leaving Nate Solder and Matt Peart to compete for the last tackle job.
Pro Football Focus predicts that Peart will win the job over veteran Solder.
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Peart, a second-year player out of Connecticut, is coming off of a modest rookie year where he played 150 (84 pass blocking) snaps allowing two sacks, two QB hits, and nine pressures. This earned him a below-average pass-blocking grade of 46.9. However, this was not the area in which Peart excelled. During his short implementations into the lineup, Peart was a ferocious run blocker earning an elite PFF grade of 81.7.
Now to his competition. Nate Solder is entering his 10th NFL season and coming off of a one-year absence. In his last year with the Giants, he started at left tackle for 16 games where he earned a moderate PFF grade of 66.5. However, Solder was clearly not his former self as he allowed a career-high 11 sacks and 56 pressures in 2019. This was a significant increase from the year before where he only allowed seven sacks and 33 pressures.
However, in 2021 with a year of relaxation and injury recovery and the ability to play on the right side instead of the left side, maybe Solder can see some improvement.
Nevertheless, the one thing the Giants can hope for is that this competition brews some player development. The team will truly need it as they have ranked among the bottom in the league in offensive line play for the past few years. This is Daniel Jones’s prove-it year and he needs all the help he can get up front.
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