Crafting the Ideal Giants Offensive Line for 2024

The New York Giants are trying to find the right combination for their offensive line for the 2024 season. Here is what we think makes the most sense.

Jul 25, 2024; East Rutherford, NY, USA; New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61) takes a water break alongside offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants' offensive line was one of, if not the worst, in the NFL in 2023.

In the offseason, the team stressed adding new life to the room with veteran free agents like Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor, and even signing Greg Van Roten earlier this week.

The trait that all of the free agent signings had, except Matt Nelson, is that they can play multiple spots on the offensive line.

With the line's injuries last year, having more positionally versatile options should help limit the loss caused by more injuries.

The Giants also made a move at the top of the offensive line, parting ways with Bobby Johnson and bringing in Carmen Bricillo from the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Giants' offensive line allowed the , while the Raiders had the best, 15 percent.

The first-team offensive line has consistently allowed pressure through the first two days of fully padded camp. But it’s important to acknowledge that the line hasn’t been healthy early on.

Evan Neal is still on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list with an ankle. He’s struggled to get up to par with the NFL when healthy. And center John Michael Schmitz has also missed practice with a shoulder issue to the same shoulder that caused him to miss three games last season (though head coach Brian Daboll claimed it’s a different injury).

That said, we gave some thought to what a starting offensive line might look like for 2024. The challenge is finding the best unit, not the best individual players.

Here, then, is our breakdown of the best starting five, in our opinion.

Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) talks with media during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Left Tackle

This one doesn’t need to be looked into at all: it’s Andrew Thomas. Thomas had a really bad rookie season but has since been one of the top tackles in the NFL.

Thomas dealt with injuries last year and missed almost half the season but looked good after returning and so far in camp.

Left Guard

There are options at both guard spots for the Giants this year. Initially, the thought was that Eluemunor, who came over this offseason from the Raiders, would be the starter at left guard. 

With Neal still on PUP, Eluemunor has been at right tackle through the fully padded days of training camp. 

The signing of Van Roten this week gives the Giants another name to try and play left guard, but my expectation is that he’ll play the right side.

Runyan had been the starting right guard for the Green Bay Packers for the past season and a half, but I expect him to be the Giants starting left guard in 2024.

When he first signed, I expected Eluemunor at left guard and Runyan Jr. at right guard, but with the line's reshuffling, that has changed.

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Center

Schmitz will almost definitely get the starting center job, assuming he’s healthy. That shoulder is a concern, though, regardless of what has been said about it.

Schmitz’s 2023 season was rough, but many factors were at play: the shoulder injury that caused him to miss three games, the constant shuffling of the line around him, and poor offensive line coaching, to name a few.

Outside of quarterback, there shouldn’t be a single player who benefits more from the offensive line changes than Schmitz. If he is unable to go come time for the regular season, I would expect to see Austin Schlottmann take over the position until Schmitz is ready.

Since the pads came on, we’ve seen Schlottmann handle the majority of the work at center, with Morrissey and rookie free agent Jake Kubas rotating in as well. Runyan has played center sporadically, but it seems more like a “break glass in case of emergency” than something they actually desire to do.

Right Guard

The newly signed Van Roten is the expectation at this position. While Runyan was initially expected to start at this spot (the same and played for the Packers), Van Roten is the more likely option.

Van Roten started at right guard for the Raiders in 2023 and has. He’s had the best seasons of his career at right guard since making the full-time move.

Daboll said that, during the signing on Tuesday morning, Van Roten could play “on the interior,” including the center.  While that is true, Van Roten has consistently graded out better at right guard and has only played center due to injuries.

In 2023, Van Roten was with the Raiders (coached by Carmen Bricillo) as a right guard. This decision is a no-brainer: play Van Roten at the position he thrived at under Bricillo.

Jan 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (73) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Right Tackle

The hope was that Neal would be rehabbed and ready to play right tackle for a triumphant comeback after a .

That hasn’t come to fruition at all this offseason as Neal is still on the PUP list with that ankle issue, and optimism for his return, despite the Giants saying he’s “close,” is dwindling.

It’s hard for me to think that someone who hasn’t played since early November 2023 and is still trying to work on the side, lightly jogging, will be ready to bang on the offensive line in just over a month.

Big linemen like Neal, , typically take longer to heal from ankle injuries. The torque required to just move at that size is rough enough, let alone to be able to drive one’s legs and move other large men.

Eluemunor has done a solid job of filling in at right tackle to this point, and considering his (at worst) above-average play at right tackle over the past two seasons, there’s no reason to think he can’t be the starter there. Plus, Eluemunor, like Van Roten, is familiar with playing at that spot under Bricillo with the Raiders.

Final Thoughts

I’ve long believed it’s not about individual offensive linemen but how they perform as a unit. Eluemunor and Van Roten have that chemistry from both playing on the right side of the line last season for the Raiders, and that should remain untouched with the Giants.

Continuity is important along the offensive line, so if we’re talking about the ideal offensive line combination, we’d like to see this.  

• Left Tackle: Andrew Thomas
• Left Guard: Jon Runyan Jr.
• Center: John Michael Schmitz/Austin Schlottmann
• Right Guard: Greg Van Roten
• Right Tackle: Jermaine Eluemunor

Interestingly, Thomas said last week after practice, “As long as we have some stability next to me, I’ll be good.”

Making Runyan the starting left guard would give Thomas stability, as opposed to the alternative of having Runyan at left guard until Neal comes back, then moving Eluemunor into left guard with Runyan moving to the right side.

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