If there are any two factors, the New York Giants desperately need to improve this upcoming season it is their salary cap situation and offensive line. Former general manager Dave Gettleman put both in peril, overspending on free agents to supplement his deficiencies drafting and failing miserably to piece together a competent offensive line for Daniel Jones.
During Wednesday’s press conference for new general manager Joe Schoen, co-owner John Maura indicated that the team had done everything possible to screw up Jones the past few seasons.
However, Schoen has already indicated that he’s identified the two leading causes for the team’s struggles, calling the salary situation a mess that needs to be cleaned up and publicly stating the lackluster OL Gettleman put together. Essentially, he threw ole Dave under the bus, which was music to Giants fan’s ears.
“Yeah, I think everybody knows the offensive line. And again, they had some injuries, unfortunately, but yeah that’s that’s gonna need to be addressed cause if you really want to see Daniel Jones put his best foot forward, he’s gotta be on his feet, and if you want to see what Saquon can do, it would be nice if you could block guys. So it will be a priority as we move into the off-season.”
Essentially, Schoen perceived that Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley failed to reach their potential due to poor OL performance. Not only did it put too much pressure on the players, but it disrupted the flow of playcalling from the coaching staff.
The 2022 NFL draft represents a fantastic opportunity to add more talent, especially since the Giants have the 5th and 7th overall selections. Beyond the first round, that is where general managers make their money. The middle rounds have been a graveyard for the Giants during Gettleman’s tenure, but Schoen had tremendous success finding solid players who contribute not only as starters but as depth pieces as well.
During Schoen’s four years with Buffalo, they landed a number of quality linemen, including Wyatt Teller, Dion Dawkins, Cody Ford, and Tommy Doyle/Spencer Brown, who were both rookies this past season and started a combined 24 games.
The expectation is that the Giants will draft at least two offensive linemen to bolster the trenches and potentially spend a bit of money to upgrade a spot with a veteran. Luckily, they already have the left tackle position settled, with Andrew Thomas coming off a phenomenal sophomore campaign. However, there’s a lot of work left to be done, and we can be confident that Schoen understands the task at hand.
More must-reads: