New York Giants third-year general manager Joe Schoen has been on a quest to rebuild and establish the team’s offensive line. He’s done a lot of work and expended a load of resources in the process.
Now the question is, as we enter the third week of training camp, has Schoen’s efforts made any difference? The line is still in transition and the coaches are still trying to find the right mix.
From Dan Duggan of The Athletic:
With the Giants nearing the three-week mark of camp, questions still linger about the line. The five projected starters for the season opener have not taken a single practice rep together. One of the projected starters, Greg Van Roten, signed a week into camp.
Those five projected starters for new unit coach Carmen Bricillo are from left to right: Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan Jr., John Michael Schmitz, Jermaine Elumunor, and Evan Neal.
This summer the issue has been (as usual) injuries, except for left tackle Andrew Thomas. All of the other projected starters have been either banged up or playing out of position.
Neal, the right tackle, began the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery. He had to be replaced at tackle by Eluemunor, who had to be replaced by Van Roten. Neal came off PUP this week and is slowly being ramped up, so that side of the line could be ready for the regular season.
Schmitz has another shoulder issue that has him working lightly until further notice. Van Roten and another veteran free agent — Austin Schlottmann — have been spelling Schmitz at center. He appears to be improving and could be ready for the season opener as well.
Runyan was signed to play right guard but is now on the left side next to Thomas. This week, he injured his shoulder, and his understudy, Jake Kubas, was held out also. Van Roten was called upon to fill in again.
“The whole flip-flopping thing is tough going from one side to the other, left to right,” Runyan said early on in camp before being flip-flopped back to the left side.
“So (you’re) trying to build some cohesion with whatever side you’re going on. It’s tough going from the left side to the right side. Your whole body has to change. Everything’s just reflected and your whole eyes and feet and hands, it’s all different. It’s nice being able to stick on one side.”
Eluemunor and Van Roten are veterans who have seen a lot of NFL snaps in their careers, many of them under Bricillo, who coached them most recently last year in Las Vegas with the Raiders.
Elumunor played right tackle in Las Vegas last year and Van Roten can play any of the three interior spots. That’s good news for the Giants, who can’t seem to keep Neal and Schmitz healthy.
Van Roten was an 11th-hour signing and may end up being the unit’s linchpin this year. As stated, he’s a plug-and-play vet who can fill in anywhere — especially at center.
“Carm has a lot of confidence in his ability to do that, and it’s good for him to get in, get all the calls,” head coach Brian Daboll said of Van Roten.
“That will help eventually when he gets to guard. But he’s done a good job of picking our stuff up in a short amount of time, and some of it there’s some similarity with it. But good leadership, good communication, and JMS is not in there. We’re going to put him in there right now and let him go.”
The Giants certainly have options along the line they have not had in years past but the stability is still an issue. They are hoping to have a clearer picture by training camp’s end.
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