Possible Solutions for the New York Giants’ Ragtag Offensive Line

After only two weeks in the NFL season, the New York Giants are already looking up at every team in their division, and they enter week three in the same situation as the last four seasons, with a 0–2 record. Over the last week, NFL analysts and commentators have pointed out critical reasons for the losses.

In the past two games, poor performances from the Giants’ highly regarded defense have been a major disappointment. For some reason, the talent-rich defensive line is having trouble rushing the passer. The defensive secondary has been giving opposing receivers a free pass in the middle of the field. However, the most serious and potentially long-term problems belong to the G-Men’s offensive line.

Troubles on the Giants’ Offensive Line

The NFL season exposes a team’s weakness very quickly. In the Giants’ case, it only took two games to reveal a glaring weakness in their paper-thin offensive line. Here are some current events that burden the Giants’ offense as they head to Atlanta:

• Left guard Shane Lemieux, who’s been battling a knee injury since the beginning of pre-season, will miss at least two more games.
• In game two against Washington, center Nick Gates went down with a leg fracture. As a result, he will likely be out for the season.
• The pre-season retirements of offensive linemen Zach Fulton and Joe Looney have left a void in the interior line roster.
• Several offensive linemen are playing out of position.
• There is no depth at the guard position.

The 24-year-old Lemieux is a second-year veteran who came out of the University of Oregon as a fifth round draft pick in 2020. In his rookie season, the 6’4”, 310-pound lineman started the last nine games. He was part of an offensive line that helped the Giants’ running game rush for over 100 yards in seven straight games.

Since Lemieux is on injured reserve, he will not be eligible to play until week five against the Dallas Cowboys. The big question is whether he can rehab his partially torn patellar tendon in time to contribute. Because the patellar tendon provides significant support to the lower body, this kind of injury is particularly bad for interior linemen, who must plant their feet and thrust their bodies into opponents on every offensive play.

Who’s Left on the Giants’ Offensive Line

In the worst-case scenario, Lemieux could miss the rest of the season. This possibility would amplify the value of general manager Dave Gettleman’s August trades for Bengals interior linemen Billy Price and Ravens interior linemen Ben Bredeson. Both should start against the Atlanta Falcons.

In the week 2 game against Washington, Billy Price stood in for Nick Gates at center while Gates substituted for the injured Lemieux at left guard. Now that Gates is also hurt, Price will probably remain the starting center. However, so far this season, he hasn’t gained many fans with a terrible 28.1 Pro Football Focus grade.

The Atlanta game will give Price another opportunity to prove himself as a starter. This Ohio State product was a first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. Although the 6’4”, 310-pound lineman started at center for the Bengals in his rookie season, a foot injury sidelined him for six games before he returned to start in week 10. His three-season stint with the Bengals included 19 starts in 42 games.

The Rest of the Roster Line-Up

The other product of Gettleman’s August trades, Ben Bredeson, will be taking over Lemieux’s left guard spot until further notice. He will team with Will Hernandez at right guard, Nate Solder at right tackle, and Andrew Thomas at left tackle. In addition, second-year tackle Matthew Peart is the back-up for the left tackle and left guard positions.

Backing up Price at the center position, Matt Skura is an experienced veteran capable of assuming a more prominent role should Price falter. The Giants’ offensive line situation gets dicier because the practice squad can only supply Jackson Barton and Korey Cunningham; both are tackles. They could raid some other team’s practice squad. However, since acquired reserve players must take a spot on the active roster, this kind of desperate move can potentially backfire.

Possible Replacement Options

Since this NFL season is 18 games long, a patchwork offensive line can lead to some nail-biting situations. One option available to the NY Giants is the trade wire. However, not many teams are willing to give up offensive linemen once the season starts, and if they did, the cost for the player would likely be a large percentage above the premium.

If the Giants decided to explore the free agent pool, interior linemen Joe Dahl and Nick Easton could help fill the void. However, they might be reluctant to join a team during the season as backup players with a chance of being cut once Lemieux returns to the line-up. Alternatively, the Giants could work out free agents J.R. Sweezy, Kelechi Osemele, or D.J. Fluker.

The Giants could also try to persuade the recently retired Zach Fulton and Joe Looney to rejoin the team in reserve interior linemen roles. Both players have only been in retirement for a few months, and they left the team on friendly terms.

The Giants’ O-Line Outlook

With two losses behind them, the New York Giants will go to Atlanta this weekend with hopes of reversing this losing trend. However, it’s safe to conclude that the fate of this season heavily relies on the health of four or five members of the Giants’ offensive line, especially Lemieux.