New York Giants Training Camp Position Group Preview: Offensive Line

Can the Giants develop a young offensive line into a major asset?

We're taking an in-depth look at the New York Giants position groups before the start of training camp--the battles, the players, the questions, and more.

Here is our look at the very deep offensive line room.

New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (78) and guard Shane Lemieux (66) stretch at the end of the first day of training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 :: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rostered Players

Jack Anderson, Ben Bredeson, Korey Cunningham, Wyatt Davis, Joshua Ezeudu, Mark Glowinski, Devery Hamilton, J.C. Hassenauer, Shane Lemieux, Marcus McKethan, Evan Neal, Matt Peart, Tyre Phillips, John Michael Schmitz, Andrew Thomas

Position Overview

The New York Giants offensive line was a crippling weakness for many years, but in 2022, it was both a weakness and a strength.

Entering 2023, the Giants look to make the line a clear advantage for them, as they have invested heavily in it over the past few years, and their efforts are starting to bear fruit.

In particular, left tackle Andrew Thomas has developed into one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and at age 24, he’s entering his athletic prime. Young, talented linemen join him as fellow tackle Evan Neal enters his second season and center John Michael Schmitz prepares to begin his career.

Coupled with a veteran presence in Mark Glowinski and a handful of interior prospects, the offensive line could become one of the best in the league if the Giants develop the younger players properly.

However, injuries were a key concern for the line in 2022, with only Thomas and Glowinski being consistently available. In particular, the guard position was ravaged by injuries, with Joshua Ezeudu, Shane Lemieux, and Marcus McKethan ending the year on injured reserve. Neal also missed a few games due to a knee injury. This resulted in a revolving door of guards and tackles that yielded inconsistent results.

All these injured players are also 26 or younger; Glowinski and Jon Feliciano were the only offensive linemen on the 2022 roster over 30 (Feliciano has since left in free agency). While the overall youth of the offensive line results in a higher upside, it also results in a lack of veteran experience outside of Glowinski, who struggled in his first year in New York.

Ultimately, the Giants are banking on strong player development to transform their offensive line into a hearty crew. They successfully developed Thomas into a key player, and they’re hoping for similar results with the rest of the youthful linemen.

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OTHER POSITION GROUPS

Running Backs | Tight Ends | Wide Receivers |  Quarterbacks

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Biggest Question Mark

Can the younger players develop and fill out the rest of the line?

The only linemen who played most of the 2022 season were Thomas, Glowinski, and Neal (who himself missed four games), and second-year players and a rookie will presumably fill the rest of the line.

Neal generally struggled in his 13-game rookie season, posting PFF grades below 50 in pass blocking, run blocking, and overall grade. However, Thomas also struggled in his rookie season, and his current statistics and PFF grades speak for themselves, so there’s still plenty of time and hope for Neal to develop into something similar.

Regarding the center position, the Giants let their previous starting center, Jon Feliciano, walk in free agency and are eyeing Schmitz as their starter. As with any rookie, Schmitz may encounter some bumps in the road, but the Giants’ player development needs to stay the course.

Key Training Camp Battle to Watch

The Giants are expected to have competition for their starting left guard spot. Ben Bredeson (the incumbent, age 25) and Joshua Ezeudu (age 23) are the expected favorites, but Jack Anderson (age 24) and Shane Lemieux (age 26) will also figure in the competition.

The thought is that Ezeudu is the favorite, but Bredson and Lemieux, in particular, can't be ruled out of the mix.

Position Unit Grade: B

The Giants have made legitimate efforts to upgrade the offensive line during Joe Schoen’s tenure. Still, outside of drafting Evan Neal seventh overall and bringing in Glowinski, most of these efforts are with unproven talent.

Andrew Thomas alone gives the line some much-needed pedigree, and the prospects are young enough to develop in time for their athletic primes, but overall, they’re still a work in progress and need time to cook.

Early 53-man Roster Projections

• Starters: Andrew Thomas, Joshua Ezeudu, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal
• Backups: Jack Anderson, Ben Bredeson, J.C. Hassenauer, Shane Lemieux, Tyre Phillips
• Practice Squad: Korey Cunningham, Devery Hamilton, Marcus McKethan
• Cut: Wyatt Davis, Matt Peart

The only starting position on the line that isn’t set in stone is left guard, and my prediction is that Ezeudu wins the competition because the Giants used a premium draft pick on him and that he also seems to have the highest upside.

Bredeson, Anderson, and Lemieux should make the roster as backups. Bredeson has good versatility at all three interior line positions, Lemieux has shown upside when healthy, and Anderson’s versatility should allow him to be a swing guard. Meanwhile, Tyre Phillips should win the swing tackle job due to his higher upside than his competitors.

Korey Cunningham and Devery Hamilton, who are competing for the swing tackle job, should wind up on the practice squad as emergency options, while Marcus McKethan should also be on the practice squad due to his rehab from a torn ACL.

Finally, Wyatt Davis and Matt Peart are the weak links who likely will wind up cut. In particular, Peart has been a failed experiment for years, and it’s time to move on from him.

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