New York Giants Roster Rebuild Plan: Offensive Line
Of all the missteps soon-to-be-former Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has made--and there have been quite a number of them--his blind faith in the offensive line this year arguably ranks at the top.
To be fair, Gettleman couldn't plan for injuries or retirements. He also wasn't alone in his confidence over the line, as head coach Joe Judge was also serving the Kool-Aid about the line, telling Giants Country before the start of training camp that he liked the way the lineman were working when asked what, from a football perspective, gave him confidence the unit would be okay.
I'm confident in the way we work, and ultimately, that's what's going to help us improve. In terms of how our players work, I'm confident in their commitment to the process and what they will do to improve.
Even when the line started showing cracks, the always sunny Judge defended the unit against little hints of displeasure from former offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that except for left tackle Andrew Thomas, who had a strong sophomore campaign after struggling through two position coaches and a bum ankle that bothered him throughout his rookie season, no one on the offensive line jumped out and made people cheer.
Guard Will Hernandez, a second-round pick in 2018 who came to the team with so much promise, continued to regress at an alarming rate, one of his many issues being an inability to work cohesively with the guy next to him in picking up twists.
Center Billy Price, a former first-round pick whom the Bengals seemed only too happy to get rid of, was solid in snapping the ball but didn't offer much consistency in the other aspects of the job.
At times, Matt Skura at left guard ended up rotating with Wes Martin. The offensive line rotation is now synonymous with the coaching staff not entirely convinced they have an answer worthy of playing every snap.
Matt Peart couldn't beat out Nate Solder for the starting right tackle job, raising questions about whether the Giants overvalued Peart as a prospect. And Solder, a good man trying to give it one last go after sitting out last season due to COVID concerns, might have been better off hanging it up in retrospect.
The depth? What depth? The Giants traded a draft pick for interior offensive lineman Ben Bredeson, who, when he hasn't been injured, also hasn't exactly done enough to get on the field.
None of the two undrafted free agent offensive linemen the Giants signed--center Brett Heggie and tackle Jake Burton--stuck on the practice squad, let alone created any intrigue about a possible roster spot.
And offensive line coach Rob Sale, when asked about reclamation project Isaiah Wilson's professionalism, pretty much said all that you needed to know about where Wilson's development stands.
And so here we are, the unit that Gettleman told concerned reporters and by extension concerned fans that the franchise had "more confidence in our offensive line than you guys do” and was "happy with the group" they had, now find themselves back to square one.
Cap Chronicles
Thanks to several offensive linemen set to be free agents next year, the Giants' current cap liabilities to their offensive line hover around $20 million, which puts them at the middle of the pack.
That said, of their three highest offensive line cap charges against 2022, two--Nate Solder ($4 million in dead money) and Nick Gates ($3,379,167)--most likely won't be on the opening day roster while the fourth in the mix (Matt Peart, $1,186,574) probably won't be ready to play opening day either after suffering a late-season torn ACL.
That's not a very healthy-looking cap picture for this unit, though the good news is that this will probably change as we go through the off-season.
Where do they start in rebuilding this unit?
An identity would be a good place to start. Do they want a downhill bruiser unit? A finesse unit? An athletic one? Something else? Are they going to want to run up the gut all the time or mix it up?
The team needs to figure out what will work best with the schemes of the new offensive coordinator and then look for players who meet that criteria and stick with finding players who fit that profile rather than trying to force square pegs into round holes.
So, go free agency or draft or both?
Both for now. As much as I hate to give the Cowboys credit, they built their offensive line the right way, which was mainly through the draft with a couple of free agents sprinkled in.
I get the thinking behind letting all the kids play and gain experience, but I also think there's a lot to be said for having a veteran or two out there with the kids to keep them from getting flustered. I'm surprised the Giants didn't share that same thinking initially.
The Giants probably won't be able to afford top-shelf free agents. That's okay so long as they draft wisely, straighten out any coaching issues, and allocate their resources accordingly.
More from the Roster Rebuild Series
What Was Dave Gettleman thinking?
If there is one thing I don't understand about how Dave Gettleman put the 2021 offensive line unit together, it's why he didn't add to the pipeline.
The original plan was to allow the youngsters--Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Will Hernandez, and Matt Peart--to grow old together. Fine. But the backup to that plan was to put a string of aging veterans behind them with no young talent in the pipeline that you could probably point to as a future starter.
Given that developing offensive linemen can sometimes take a year, it was a significant misstep, especially when one considers that most of the veteran backup options weren't signed beyond 2021.
Naturally, when injuries and retirements happened, the Giants were left scrambling. They made two trades for offensive linemen, center Billy Price, who's been a starter, and Ben Bredeson, who has had injury issues but, when healthy, hasn't been able to crack into the lineup.
They gave former Titans first-round pick Isaiah Wilson a chance to show he had changed his ways and was ready to embrace the hard work required of an NFL offensive lineman, but that hasn't panned out.
And their two UDFAs signed after the draft, Brett Heggie and Jake Burton? Neither are on the practice squad.
Add it all up, and that amounts to a bad-looking picture, regardless of how it all came about, and just another reason why it doesn't hurt every year to add offensive linemen.
What's up with Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux?
This question is about their injuries. Lemieux should be good to go by the start of next year, though I would not automatically assume he'll go right back to the starting role (nor should he).
Gates? Look, I learned my lesson about trying to play doctor years ago when I was convinced Rich Seubert was done after a horrific spiral fracture of his lower leg. Seubert proved me and everyone else who doubted him wrong by returning and playing at a decent enough level to retain a starting job.
I'm not about to say Gates is done. What I am willing to say, though, is I have questions about whether he'll be ready for training camp and the start of the season. That said, Gates is a tough and determined dude, just like Seubert was in his fight back from a scary looking leg injury. If anyone can overcome such great adversity, Gates, who reminds me a lot of Seubert, is the guy you want to bet on.
Can they realistically field a solid line by next year?
With the right moves, yes. But--and this is key--several things have to fall into place.
First, they need to be honest about the talent they have and don't have and stop with this leap of faith about how good a player or unit will be just based on how they work. A guy can be a tireless worker, but that doesn't automatically make him a good player, and I think the coaching staff needs to be able to separate the two.
If we go based on performance, left tackle Andrew Thomas has proven he's a keeper. The others who have mainly started the season? Not so much so.
Nick Gates has shown he's a keeper, but his leg injury is the wild card. The Giants have to operate as though Gates will not be ready for next year, and if he is, that will be a bonus.
Same with Shane Lemieux, who, by the way, before being injured, wasn't challenged for the starting left guard position, especially given his rookie season pass-blocking issues.
And speaking of competition, I'm not sure the entire projected starting offensive line that was intended to be fielded by the team got much in the way of competition, which isn't a good thing, if true.
So based on what we know to be true today, the Giants could need as many as four new starters. Two premium draft picks should help. A veteran free agent signing will also help--yes, the Giants are cap-strapped for 2022, but if they're going to make a splash of any kind in free agency, the offensive line has to be the position where they spend.
And yes, consideration can be given to the guys under contract for a starting role, some of whom might end up on their second or, if they were here in 2020, fourth different offensive line coach if, as reported, Rob Sale departs for the college ranks.
What role has coaching played in the mix?
I find it interesting that the Giants felt the need to devote as many as four coaching voices to this unit--line coach Rob Sale, assistant line coach Ben Wilkerson, consultant Pat Flaherty, and, on occasion, senior assistant Freddie Kitchens. Yet, here they are with the league's 20th ranked pass-blocking offensive line (per Pro Football Focus) entering Week 17.
It would be unfair to criticize how the linemen are being taught or draw conclusions about whether different voices are creating confusion among the linemen without being in the classroom or having a front-row seat to the entire practice sessions.
That said, it wouldn't be surprising if having so many voices was creating confusion as no two voices are likely to be identical.
Sale, who is reportedly planning to leave the team after the season to go back to the college ranks, might be a good coach and teacher. Still, it's fair to wonder if Judge took a leap of faith in believing that Sale, and not a more experienced offensive line coach with a history of transforming NFL units into powerhouses, was the right man to lead the effort.
Keep, Tweak or Dump?
When you're potentially looking at replacing four-fifths of the starting offensive line you end the season with and the depth you have, that's a full-fledged rebuild.
As noted, Andrew Thomas is a keeper at left tackle. But the guards? With guards expected to be abundant in the draft, an upgrade is likely in the cards for both spots.
At center, again, it depends on where Nick Gates is in his rehab. Either way, the Giants will want to make sure they have a viable backup for him, and in this instance, maybe they look to re-sign Billy Price, who will be a free agent after this year until Gates is cleared physically.
Will Hernandez is unlikely to be retained after significantly regressing from his rookie season. Nate Solder has a voidable year on his contract next year, so he's not expected back. The late-season ACL injury differed by Matt Peart combined with the issues in developing Isaiah Wilson that Sale brought to light make right tackle a pressing off-season need.
Overall, we're potentially looking at a massive rebuild on this unit using free agency, the draft, and the post-draft to restock a cupboard which, in retrospect, was left bare during last year's "rebuild."
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