NY Giants O-line Facing Big Season Ahead

The New York Giants are one of those teams in the NFL that are being highly doubted ahead of the 2025 season for several reasons, the biggest of which has been the state of their offensive line. 

The team has been working tirelessly to elevate their offensive front to a competitive level, but obstacles, such as injuries, have consistently hindered progress. 

There is no doubt that Andrew Thomas has been the rock of their protection, but the All-Pro left tackle has dealt with his own lower body ailments in consecutive seasons. 

On the other side, the team has finally appeared to have found an anchor in Jermaine Eluemunor after trying to develop Evan Neal at that spot. 

Yet, on the interior, the uncertainty is at its highest as the Giants don’t seem to have a fully realized plan for their guard positions. They started their two free agent additions in Jon Runyan and Greg Van Roten last season, but that duo is not necessarily a lock to start the season again.

The entire group was mediocre at best in the former area, grading 64.9 or worse in pass protection and being held responsible for nine of the Giants’ 48 sacks allowed last season. 

As the injuries started to attack the unit more aggressively, their efficiency in winning pressure battles only worsened, and they became one of the most penalized positions on the entire roster. 

The way the initial 90-man roster is shaping up ahead of training camp next week, there has been no indication that the Giants will rely on the same two starters and hope for consistency to arrive this time around. 

Their depth is also a significant concern, as the young pieces behind them haven’t fully come into their own, including Neal, who has undergone a transition to guard this summer. 

The Giants only have six guards stationed in East Rutherford, including Neal, which doesn’t leave much room for injuries that are likely to come during the year.

So what’s the Giants’ long-term plan for the guard position, which remains the biggest weakness on the offense heading into 2025?

Well, it’s fair to think they’ll start to earn some answers in camp, depending on how Neal’s progression goes and if they believe he is capable of stepping into the role from the jump. 

The former first-round pick has already earned kudos from several key members of the organization regarding his ambition and team-first mentality in accepting his new opportunity to help the roster win on Sundays. 

It might be a last-ditch effort to salvage what is left of Neal’s tenure in the Big Apple, one that believes can be turned around to make him the same elite protector he once was at Alabama in college when they drafted him.

Incoming rookie lineman Marcus Mbow could earn some serious consideration as well. The fifth-round pick out of Purdue is one of the Giants’ most versatile protectors, having played in over 572 snaps at both tight guard and right tackle with the Boilermakers, where he has allowed four sacks since 2023.

The Giants have Mbow slated behind Van Roten following the spring. Still, if he can use his scouted agility off the snap to hang around with NFL-caliber pass rushers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Giants give their novice a shot to spar in a swing-style role on both sides of the offensive line. 

Last year, the Giants didn’t settle on a starting unit until the end of summer, thanks to injuries and the flip-flopping of guys around to different positions. 

The hope is that this year, they can get the projected starting five on the field as soon as possible, though Daboll doesn’t intend to set a hard deadline as to when that needs to be done.

“Guys have to do different things,” he said. “There'll be five starters, and then there are guys that have to be flexible. We had, I think, the most offensive line combinations in the league last year playing, so this is a time to practice it.” 

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