Can Brandon Brooks Make The New York Giants O-Line Dominant In 2016?

With the release of Geoff Schwartz and Will Beatty last month, the New York Giants have two big holes to fill on the offensive line. Schwartz and Beatty were slated to be starters in 2016, but there release freed up even more cap space for Jerry Reese to right the ship in the offseason.

The right guard position will need to be addressed in free agency as Reese will likely want to improve on the likes of Bobby Hart and John Jerry. Brandon Brooks of the Houston Texans will enter the free agent market as one of the top five interior guards according to Pro Football Focus and could be an ideal fit for the Giants O-line. Brooks is a 6-foot-5, 335-pound three-year starter for the Texans and excels at zone blocking, which has been in Ben McAdoo’s scheme for the past two seasons.

Brooks may come at a cost, however; he’s 26 and in high demand. Plus, the Texans have an interest in keeping him. Texans’ GM Rick Smith had this to say about Brooks at the combine: “I think you can look through the balance of our roster and see that our good, young football players are guys that we try to extend. Certainly Brandon is one of those guys and is a key cog in our offensive line and we would love to have him back.”

It will take an impressive offer to woo Brooks away. Sportrac calculates he will command about $8 million annually. Last offseason, the highest-paid guard was Mike Iupati. He was 27 at the time and his deal was 5-year, $40 million. Expect Brooks to command a similar contract plus a lucrative signing bonus like Iupati.

If Brooks were to join Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, the Giants would have one of the youngest, most talented offensive lines in the NFL. As an added bonus, Brooks was on the field for 93% of Houston’s offensive snaps over the past three seasons according to PFF. Durability was an obvious concern for the Giants last season. Should Reese pay up for this young guard?