New York Giants Training Camp Preview: IOL Austin Schlottmann

Can Austin Schlottmann’s positional versatility give him a chance to make the New York Giants roster?

Oct 2, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings guard Austin Schlottmann (65) during the NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports / Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports

In the course of retooling their offensive line to be competitive in the 2024 season, the New York Giants have shown that they place a high premium on versatile linemen who can tap into different spots on the starting front. 

Austin Schlottmann belongs to that party, but he’ll need to improve on some of his protections if he has aspirations to compete for the team’s roster. 

A sixth-year player who went undrafted out of TCU, Schlottmann mostly held down the middle for his first three seasons with the Horned Frogs before doing some left and right guard duties at the start of his senior campaign. 

In his two NFL stints, Schlottmann began by playing 449 snaps at right guard for the Denver Broncos, who moved him to the practice squad for most of the 2021 season. He then left for Minnesota and became their center on a rotational basis. 

In those same stops, Schlottmann has contributed to field goal protection units, amassing 254 snaps and not allowing a single blocked kick under his watch, which is emphasized by his grades of 61.7 or higher in four of his five professional campaigns. 

Schlottmann enters his first training camp with the Giants boasting 1,056 total snaps, 713 in pass protection, and 353 blocking for rushing schemes. His run blocking came back with modest grades in that span, but protecting the quarterback has been an issue outside of the 2023 season, as Schlottmann registered grades below 46.1 in the three years prior.

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AUSTIN SCHLOTTMANN, IOL

Height: 6-6
Weight: 300 lbs
Exp.: 6 Years
College: TCU
How Acquired: FA-24

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2023 in Review

Schlottmann was the second most-played center on the Minnesota Vikings last season, accumulating 249 offensive snaps in six games behind starter Garrett Bradbury. Most of his work came in the first four weeks of the season when Bradbury was sidelined with a back injury that lingered from the 2022 season. 

Schlottmann played in 178 snaps as a pass blocker and recorded the best grading of his NFL career of 72.3. He gave up just seven total pressures, including only one sack and one quarterback hit, and was penalized just one time for a very clean protection performance. 

The only other game Schlottmann appeared for the Vikings came in Week 14 against Las Vegas, when he saw two snaps at left guard. 

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Contract/Cap Info

The Giants signed Schlottmann to a two-year, $2.795 million contract on March 15, that has $500,000 in guaranteed money. The deal will carry a $1.375 million cap charge for the 2024 season, making Schlottmann as the 30th highest-paid center out of 87 eligible linemen at the position.

If Schlottman doesn’t make the roster, the Giants will save $1.125 million and be hit with a $250,000 dead-money charge this year and next year as part of the transaction.   

2024 Preview

While he did show immense signs of improvement in pass protection in 2023, Schlottmann is going to really have to battle it out with fellow center and free agent signing Jimmy Morrissey for a depth spot on the Giants roster. 

The team expects sophomore snapper John Michael Schmitz Jr. to return to the starting job this upcoming season, so at best, one of Schlottman and Morrissey should make the 53-man roster as his backup. 

Schlottmann brings more experience and technique in the trenches but hasn’t been the sharpest protector against stronger nose tackles and defenses that featured delayed blitzes in gaps. At just 300 lbs, he is a lot smaller than the average interior offensive lineman. He can be susceptible to more pressure by being pushed back into the pocket or missing backside gap blitzes in certain schemes.

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