The New York Giants need all the offensive line support they can get, especially with roster cuts due on Tuesday at 4 PM. As the Giants begin to filter out their 53-man roster, it is likely they retain nine offensive linemen, but I wouldn’t guarantee their spots until waiver claims go through.
The Giants have already begun making moves to upgrade the depth on the OL, trading defensive linemen BJ Hill to the Cincinnati Bengals in return for versatile center Billy Price. The Giants also included a seventh-round conditional pick in the deal.
Price, however, is an experienced NFL player, spending the last three years with Cincinnati. Having played left guard, center, and right guard, Price can move around the line if need be, but his best position is center.
By no means is Price considered an above-average player, but he can fill a necessary role if injuries or inconsistencies arise, which the Giants already have in the trenches prior to Week 1 of the regular season. It is possible a change of scenery could spur improvement for Billy, who is a former first-round pick out of Ohio State. The 25-year-old is still young and has solid, tangible traits but simply falters in the fundamentals category.
The New York Giants should consider Matt Skura as a waiver claim:
However, there is another option that hit the market late on Monday that could be of interest for the Giants. The Miami Dolphins released Matt Skura, a 6’3″, 313 pounds center, formally of the Duke Blue Devils. Having been drafted in 2016, Skura could very well know Daniel Jones. As a former undrafted free agent, Skura spent his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before latching on with the Miami Dolphins in 2020. Last year, Skura allowed just one sack and 10 pressures over 661 snaps.
Skura enjoyed a few solid performances to start the 2020 season against Cleveland, Houston, and Kansas City but was mainly inconsistent throughout the campaign. He’s played a total of 3,304 snaps in his career, giving up five sacks and 67 pressures. The majority of his time has been spent at center but played right guard during his rookie campaign in Baltimore back in 2017.
As an experienced lineman, Skura is only 28 years old, offering another younger solution. Considering how weak the Giants’ depth in the trenches is, the backend of the unit could be interchangeable in the coming days, despite roster cuts.
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