The New York Giants’ offensive line is paltry, but there are a couple of unrestricted free agents who could bolster it.
As the New York Giants look to conjure one more Super Bowl run in the Eli Manning era, fans have been nervously watching a substandard offensive line surrender too much pressure this preseason.For Big Blue to be successful, they’re going to have to address the elephant in the room. Although Weston Richburg and Justin Pugh have emerged as two of the best offensive linemen in the league, the rest of the o-line hasn’t followed suit.
As of the present, the team would be sending Marshall Newhouse and John Jerry into the trenches on a weekly basis. This is a sobering thought.
For starters, both were alarmingly poor in run blocking last season. Their woes were expounded by the constant shuffling of the line to replace injured players, help struggling rookies and attempt to find a rhythm.
Well, the bad news is that Jerry Reese didn’t sign any players with starting capabilities. The good news is that there’s still a market — albeit a small one — for guards and tackles.
Here are a couple of linemen the Giants could target:
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Louis Vasquez — G
Vasquez (71.7) is a power blocker whose natural position is right guard. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft and was an All-Pro in 2013.
Before his excellent 2013 campaign, he was signed to a 4-year deal worth $23.5 million with $13 million guaranteed. Vasquez was cut by the Broncos this offseason after he “struggled in Gary Kubiak‘s zone-blocking offense.”
Many pundits believe that Vasquez was a scheme misfit under Kubiak, and the stats support that assertion: under former coach John Fox, he garnered PFF grades of 76.6, 80.1, 88.3 and 77.1. Under Kubiak, he posted a career-low 71.7.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to call him an upgrade over John Jerry. Vasquez, who is elite in pass protection, would ideally man the RG position. Big Blue could utilize him as a transitional bridge to Bobby Hart, who the organization is brazenly high on.
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Geoff Schwartz — G
Schwartz (80.1) is a huge run mauler with the ability to play both guard and tackle. He was released by the Detroit Lions on Monday as a casualty of the numbers game.
The Giants faithful clamored for management to sign Schwartz two offseasons ago, and sure enough, they did. He was an effective screen blocker and the best run mauler on the team, but suffered a slew of injuries during his tenure in blue and white.
The final injury, a broken leg, landed him on the IR. Big Blue parted ways with him following the season, so Detroit snagged him for an affordable price. However, he’s now an unrestricted free agent, and even with his age, Reese would be wise to pick him up.
There are very few UFA’s who know the system and can play multiple positions on the line of scrimmage.
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Jake Long — T
It’s rare that a player with as extensive of a resume as Long remains on the open market in late August. Then again, Long isn’t an ordinary player.
Long (74.5 in 2014) was the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was named to the Pro Bowl for four consecutive seasons and was arguably the best offensive tackle in the league at the start of his career.
However, a string of harrowing injuries has left him without a team. Long tore his ACL in back-to-back seasons and played 11 snaps for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015.
Still, the 31-year-old visited the Giants’ facility earlier in the offseason, and even though he left without a contract, he was seemingly a sought-after free agent. On July 26, the Baltimore Ravens inked him to a one-year deal.
However, the pact fell through when the Purple Pain, fearful of his injury history, requested for Long to sign a waiver. Long declined the request, and he never signed a contract.
It’s telling that the Giants have had all offseason to sign him, and haven’t. Still, is it possible that they could they make the low-risk, high-reward choice of inking him to a short-term deal?