Will Beatty Rejoins New York Giants Amid Poor O-Line Play

The New York Giants re-signed Will Beatty on August 30th after releasing the tackle in February.  The offensive tackle had gone unsigned throughout the offseason and the majority of the preseason.  Now, with the regular season a week away, can the addition of Beatty improve what has been a lackluster offensive line?

Coming into the preseason, the New York Giants spending spree in free agency had already drawn criticism, praise and everything in between.  But a common observation, among both fans and analysts, was the obvious exclusion of any substantial talent along the offensive line.

The players they did bring in have all been cut. Dillon Farrell, Ryan Seymour and a retread on Adam Gettis have been waived after less than stellar preseason performances. The other offensive lineman they acquired during the offseason, Byron Stingily, is currently on reserved/injured. He could find himself on that list when the season begins.

Aside from the five starters, who have under-performed and appeared to be outplayed on nearly every series they were given, are an undrafted free agent out of the CFL, Brett Jones; a second year, seventh-round draft pick in Bobby Hart; and the man who was out of work for the last six months.

A Beatty Return

Will Beatty, who has played and played well for the Giants, finds himself again on the team he won a Super Bowl with in 2011.

That season, Beatty started in 10 games at left tackle. His play at left tackle in 2011 would help lead to the five-year extension he would sign in 2012. Prior to the extension, Beatty had surgery to repair a detached retina. He was forced to sit out the entire preseason after suffering nerve damage in his back. The time away from the game only slightly disrupted his ascent into a productive left tackle.

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That year, according to Pro Football Focus, Beatty was the second ranked left tackle in the game. His play led to the extension, and during the next two seasons, Beatty did not miss a start.  His production did not dwindle, but as the offense and team struggled, his play and consistency became overshadowed by the performance of the team.

In 2015, he tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights, and subsequently a rotator cuff and never saw the field.  In the span of two years, Beatty went from a highly paid, productive player at one of the most important positions in football, to an afterthought. One whose moderately successful track record could not convince teams to sign him.

An Incumbent Answer?

So what are the Giants doing? What do they hope to find in Beatty that they haven’t had on the roster for more than a season? There is next to no chance that the answer to the offensive woes, a stagnant, ineffective running game, and less than solid pass protection, lie in a tackle who has not played in over a year.

The Eagles, whose own tackle has been suspended for 10 games, did not see enough reason to sign Beatty. NJ.com reported back on August 13, 2016 that the Eagles had expressed interest. Obviously nothing materialized.

With Marshall Newhouse, the Giants have been a top 10 offense.  The running game and the quarterback pressures are nothing to gloss over, but an elite quarterback should be able to mask these issues.  Will Beatty was a good player and did have the opportunity to solidify this offensive line.  But instead the Giants let him walk, sifted through practice squad lineman, and infuriated a fan base with their blatant incompetency in assessing talent and needs.

But instead the Giants let him walk, sifted through practice squad lineman, and infuriated a fan base with their blatant incompetency in assessing talent and needs.

Newhouse has shown he is not a starting tackle in the NFL. The Giants still feel that he is. No other team would go through a month of practice and preseason games, evaluate and pinpoint a deficiency, only to remedy it with a player they supposedly had no use for six months ago.

A Desperate Move

With a week to go before the season opener, Will Beatty is again on the Giants; offering fans a glimmer of hope that maybe the team has begun to actively pursue ways to improve the team. But like the defensive additions at the onset of free agency, this move screams of desperation. Desperation derived from a closing window on the play of their quarterback, from the consecutive seasons of losing, and from the less than amicable terms their previous head coach left on.

Will Beatty will start this season.  That is an issue of when and not if.  He is a better player than Marshall Newhouse, and probably a better player than the younger, higher pick Ereck Flowers. But for the sake of continuity and growth, Flowers will stay put and Newhouse will be given the benefit of the doubt. The Giants put up impressive numbers last year with Newhouse at tackle. Which again leads to the question, why did the Giants bring Beatty back?

Last Minute Question Mark

Everyone who follows the Giants knows how bad Newhouse has been and how available Beatty has been.  Why the delay, and why even give Newhouse the idea that he somehow earned his starting role.

Maybe, like many people thought, Bobby Hart was the tackle in waiting.  A seventh-round steal waiting for his chance to slide and punch defenders to the ground.  But after one preseason game, it was evident to apparently everyone, except the Giants, that Hart was not the answer at starting tackle.

A few weeks later, and the Giants still trot out the same five starters. With Pugh or Richburg missing as the exceptions, but still the same results;  little to no production on the ground, and a disjointed unit that looks like it hasn’t been playing together for over a year.

And the reserves, nearly all of which are off the roster now, had the opportunity to match up against other third and fourth stringers with little chance at making a roster.  Invaluable experience, but wouldn’t that experience have been put to better use by a player the Giants had to have had an eye on for the past six months? Like Will Beatty?

This whole situation makes no sense.