Giants Country

Which Player Can Giants Not Afford to Lose?

There are a few choices, but this one is kind of obvious, and here's why.

Patricia Traina

Which Player Can Giants Not Afford to Lose?
Which Player Can Giants Not Afford to Lose? /
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The New York Giants have been one of the most injured teams in the NFL for what seems like forever. But while injuries are an inconvenience to a club, some injuries tend to hurt more than others--literally.

According to CBS Sports, the one player that the Giants can ill-afford to lose in the coming season is left tackle Andrew Thomas, a young player whom article author Cody Benjamin notes is on the rise.

His 2022 success confirmed his arrival as a top young tackle a la Penei Sewell in Detroit. For all the talk about getting Daniel Jones more help out wide, Brian Daboll's attack probably hinges more on Thomas standing pat at LT to keep the QB upright.

Benjamin isn't completely wrong about Thomas being indispensable. The Giants currently have some questions regarding their depth at offensive tackle to where if Thomas were to miss time, there is a question as to who might step in for him and if there would be a drop-off.

Thomas, entering Year 4 of his rookie contract, was also recently named one of the best bargains at a premium position in the league. Thomas will count for $10,291,778 against this year's cap, the league's 16th-highest cap figure among left tackles. In addition, his APY currently puts him 19th among the league's left tackles.

So just how good has Thomas been for the Giants? Since allowing 57 pressures in 2020 as a rookie (one less than Jaguars tackle Jawaan Talyor), Thomas has clamped down, allowing just 41 pressures over the last two seasons for a career 96.7 pass-blocking efficiency rating, according to Pro Football Focus.

Closer to home, Thomas was by far the Giants' most consistent offensive lineman last year in terms of fewest pressures allowed. Thomas had answers for nearly everything thrown against him, rarely getting overpowered and pushed back into the pocket.

What's scary is that Thomas is only 25 years old, with a lot of football still before him and a thirst for getting even better moving forward. And he has quite the checklist for himself.

"Starting with my set in pass protection, just being more consistent with my inside foot, making sure I'm staying on the angle consistently," Thomas said in response to a question from Giants Country about where he wants to be better. 

"I would say my hands in pass protection as well, especially the inside hand, making sure I keep leverage on power moves and stuff like that."

Expect a contract extension for Thomas, whose option year was picked up, to be high atop the Giants' to-do list next off-season.

Be sure to keep it here on Giants Country, as next month, we'll be revealing our picks in reverse order of the top most indispensable New York Giants players.

 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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