Jermaine Eluemunor Named Giants' "Best Kept Secret"

Bleacher Report lauds the Giants' signing of Jermaine Eluemunor for the value and versatility he brings to the team.

Jermaine Eluemunor / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants needed all the off-season help they could find to reinforce arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL last season. This unit not only underperformed but was also wrecked by injuries.

Giants General Manager Joe Schoen thoroughly addressed the line through free agency, adding multiple starting-caliber offensive linemen. 

One of their new additions is currently flying under the radar. For a team that desperately needed additional talent on their offensive line, they may have found exceptional value in one of their veteran additions.

One such offensive line addition, guard/tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, is, in the opinion of Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder, the team’s “Best Kept Secret” and a true value after signing a two-year deal worth $14 million. 

Eluemunor joined the Giants in free agency after spending the last three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. He brings many years of experience to the Giants and could eventually be one of the Giants’ most dependable offensive linemen in the long run.

“With other offensive linemen signing $20-plus million per year contracts this spring, the Giants got excellent value for Eluemunor,” Holder said. 

“That will help stabilize the offense's pass protection issues, seeing as the former Raider surrendered fewer than 30 pressures in each of the last two seasons, per PFF.”

Eluemunor is a familiar face to new Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo, and the 29-year-old gives the Giants position flexibility at guard and tackle. 

Last season, the Raiders' Eluemunor started 14 of the 17 games played at right tackle; he’s also started or played in games at left tackle and right guard in his career. 

With Eluemunor on board, the Giants have an underrated yet important insurance policy if Evan Neal, currently the incumbent at right tackle, doesn’t work out. Neal, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2022, has had a rough time since being selected seventh overall in his draft class. 

Injuries have not helped–he saw his 2023 season end prematurely due to an ankle issue for which he needed surgery–but Neal, who had one season at Alabama playing at right tackle, has seemingly struggled to find a comfort level on the right side after primarily playing most of his college snaps on the left side.

Should Neal have a breakthrough this year, Eluemunor’s versatility will enable him to compete for one of the vacant guard positions. Eluemunor received snaps at left guard during the Giants’ third OTA, which was open to the media last week, so he is definitely in the mix for a job.

Should Neal fail in his quest, Eluemunor would serve as a valuable backup at every spot on the line except for center, further emphasizing his overall value and reinforcing the exceptional value the Giants received in this signing. 

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