Giants 2025 UFA Primer: IOL Greg Van Roten

2024 Season Recap

Since joining the Giants, Van Roten became an instant contributor to the team’s starting offensive line. He was the only offensive lineman on the team who played every snap of the campaign. 

Van Roten jumped into the right guard role and held firm for (1,068) total snaps, including (698) as a pass blocker and (370) creating holes for the run game. He marked the highest total snap count of his soon-to-be 11-year career in the NFL and finished with a PFF overall grade of 66.1 after allowing (33) pressures. 

The veteran got off to a slightly rocky start as he adjusted to the Giants’ system and cadences and meshed with his fellow linemen up front.

He gave up a career-high seven sacks, but most of them came in the first half of the season. By the second half, Van Roten was holding opponents to a sack or less and under four pressures combined under his watch. 

One of Van Roten’s greatest games as a Giant came early in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns when he allowed one pressure all day to one of the best pass-rushing teams in the league during New York’s 21-15 win.

He provided his best run-blocking display in Week 5 against Seattle, which netted him a 91.6 grade, and did likewise against the pass when the Giants lost a heartbreaker to the Carolina Panthers, 20-15, in Munich, Germany. 

In Weeks 14 and 17, Van Roten was tasked with shifting over to the center position, where he had some experience during his time in Buffalo as injuries ravaged the other four spots along the offensive line, and he filled in quite efficiently.

The first game against the Saints saw him allow just one pressure the entire afternoon, and he followed that up with 56 center snaps against the Colts, which resulted in zero pressure for Indianapolis’s pass rush. 

Van Roten finished the 2024 season as the (44th-ranked guard in the NFL in terms of overall pass-blocking grade, but his pressures allowed ranked 10th, and his quarterback hits were among the lowest across the position.

Why the Giants Should Keep Him

While the Giants’ current personnel could change as the organization heads into the offseason, it feels unlikely that offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo has to fear for his job. The Giants ‘ front was looking spectacular relative to previous years until the classic injury bug reared its ugly head. 

Bricillo likely recommended the Giants bring in Van Roten because he was familiar with his coaching style and approach to blocking, which he would carry over to New York. The pairing seems to have worked out beautifully in 2024, with Van Roten being one of the Giants’ most efficient and durable offensive linemen. 

There is no way to discount Van Roten’s versatility, either. He can play at three spots along the offensive line, including guard spots and the center position, which is a good safety net on the roster in the event of significant injuries as the Giants suffered this season. 

Van Roten signed a one-year, $2 million deal last summer and could attract more funds than that without breaking the bank.

Why the Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him

As sharp as Van Roten was towards the end of the regular season, it might come off as concerning that he gave up the most sacks in a single season in his first stint in East Rutherford, especially when he hadn’t allowed more than five throughout the rest of his long career. 

Is that a matter of age putting some wear and tear on his tires? It’s hard to tell, but certainly a negative trend, as he went from 31 total pressures in his last two seasons to 33 in 2024 alone. 

The extra burden from losing left tackle Andrew Thomas definitely impacted the success of the rest of the front line, and that was when Van Roten saw his own blocking efficiency take a hit with five sacks allowed between Weeks 7 and 13. 

Perhaps the Giants want to look at a slightly younger option that can protect the quarterback at an even more elite rate next season, even if it requires spending a little more money from the cap space to do that. 

They took a flier on Van Roten with his ties to Bricillo, who helped him play well with the Raiders, and maybe they see a potential upgrade on the horizon.

Potential Replacements If He Doesn't Return

Free Agency: Will Hernandez, Arizona Cardinals

Given the two concerns mentioned about retaining Greg Van Roten in 2025, if the Giants want to look in another direction, they could simply look back at a former player who has grown in just a short time away from the organization. 

One of the youngest free agent guards on the market is former Giants and current Arizona Cardinals right guard Will Hernandez. He spent his first four seasons in East Rutherford after being selected 34th overall by New York in the 2018 draft. 

Hernandez had a couple of difficult years with the Giants, including his rookie year and the 2021 season, when he allowed at least five sacks and 31 total pressures. That said, he has seemed to grow into a more efficient pass blocker since joining the Cardinals, for whom he’s allowed less than 30 pressures in all three seasons (eight in an injury-shortened 2024 season). 

Hernandez turned 29 this past September and had an AVV of $4.5 million on his last contract, which is only a slight bump for a player who is familiar with the Giants organization and was a gritty leader that the offensive line needs. 

Draft: Luke Kandra, University of Cincinnati 

With their need for a quarterback or a cornerback to take the precipice for the Giants, it’s unlikely they will target the offensive line early in the draft should a player like Van Roten depart in the offseason. If he does and they go that route in the draft, Luke Kandra is one of the best prospects on the board, but he isn’t as highly ranked as he might deserve to be. 

Kandra did not play in a flashy conference during his three seasons with the Bearcats, but he continuously improved into the 16th-ranked guard prospect on PFF’s big board for the 2025 draft. 

With a very high pass-blocking grade of 86.8 this past season, Kandra played in 803 total snaps and did not give up a single sack for the second time in three years. 

Most of his usage has come from the right guard spot, which would make Kandra a prime candidate to replace Van Roten or at least boost their depth at the position. At 6-foot-4, 323 pounds, he could be another bruiser and an enforcer that New York needs up front.

Keep or Dump?

At the end of the season, the Giants felt they received more overall positives than negatives from partnering with Van Roten on just a one-year agreement.

His ties to Carmen Bricillo are important for keeping some consistency and experience within the Giants' offensive line and offering durability that has not been there for most of the past decade. 

It might have been a different campaign for all the Giants' starting offensive linemen had Andrew Thomas not gone down with a foot injury in Week 7. He was the catalyst that seemed to keep the whole operation intact. The Giants could try to bring their first five back in 2025 and add depth behind them to ensure injuries don’t spoil a good product next season. 

Re-signing Van Roten makes more sense than it doesn’t for the Giants, and they could retain him once again for a team-friendly price, as his demand on the open market probably won’t be very high, given how the offense has looked for most of the season. 

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