Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe won’t be on the team by the end of the day Thursday and could possibly be traded on Wednesday according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Any time an offensive tackle goes on the market, the ears of Giants fans begin ringing. Despite what Eli Manning and others will say to the media, the right side of the line could use an upgrade. The tandem of Marshall Newhouse and John Jerry were signed with backup roles in mind and now are penciled in as the starting tackle and guard respectively.
Although Newhouse was widely criticized, he still had a better year than then-rookie Ereck Flowers according to Pro Football Focus. And despite John Jerry’s perceived ineptitude, he allowed just 14 quarterback disruptions and no sacks.
All that being said, Monroe is an upgrade on Newhouse and those waiting for Bobby Hart to break into the starting lineup may be waiting a while. There are questions about Hart’s feet and lateral movement and may be better suited as a guard.
As for Monroe, the Ravens were destined to move on from the veteran tackle once they drafted Ronnie Stanley, a guy the Giants would have loved to have grabbed at 10.
Much has been made of Monroe’s stance on medicinal marijuana. All Monroe did was advocate research into the benefits of marijuana to help players recover from injuries, but apparently that stance comes with a stigma. As the Sporting News wrote, “While speculative, there are thoughts that he might fail a league drug test, which could result in a suspension for the former University of Virginia standout.”
What should be more of a concern to Giants fans is Monroe’s injury history. In eight NFL seasons, Monroe has played in all 16 games just once — 2012 — and has not been selected to a Pro Bowl. While he’s an above average tackle, since 2014, he’s missed time due to injuries to his knee, his ankle, his shoulder and a concussion.
And then there’s the money. For an injury-riddled player, he’s in the third year of a five-year, $37.5 million contract and carries a base salary of $6.5 million. That’s a good chunk of money to spend on a risky player for a team that spent upwards of $200 million already this season.
While Monroe’s only played left tackle his entire career, the Giants won’t flip Flowers, so he’d be learning a new position. Monroe’s a Union County native from Plainfield, New Jersey, but is he worth a trade to come back home?