James Hudson of the New York Giants May Have Had the Worst Drive in Offensive Line History

Offensive linemen aren't generally recognized unless they make mistakes; it's the reductive nature of blocking that when you do your job, you don't get noticed for the most part.

So, when you consider that New York Giants offensive tackle James Hudson may be the most popular offensive lineman in the tristate area right now, you can assume that the news is not good.

Hudson, the 2021 fourth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns out of Cincinnati, was a reserve swing tackle for the Browns through the 2024 season; he then signed a two-year, $12 million contract with $6.01 million guaranteed to help the Giants' leaky offensive line.

So far, the returns are not good. Against the Washington Commanders in Week 1 of the 2025 season, Hudson gave up six total pressures on 51 pass-blocking reps, and was flagged for a penalty.

But that's nothing compared to how he came out of the gate against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Giants' first drive of the game was a 16-play, 110-yard drive with 50 penalty yards, and it ended with a Graham Gano 38-yard field goal after the team played with its food for over six minutes.

It could easily be said that Hudson was the primary reason the Giants couldn't get seven on the scoreboard — he was penalized four times for 40 yards, including two unnecessary roughness penalties, which is not common for offensive linemen. Hard to argue with the Deacon Jones-style head-slap as a flaggable effort.