New York Giants: Change appears to be coming for porous offensive line

Offensive line play has been at the forefront of most of the New York Giants’ struggles on offense over the past few seasons. It appears as though the 2019 unit is about to get a shakeup.

I’m not exactly breaking news to any New York Giants fan – or any football fan in general – by stating that the sole reason for Big Blue’s offensive struggles over the better part of the last four years has been shoddy (to be kind) offensive line play. When he took over, General Manager Dave Gettleman preached about ‘hogmollies’ (man do I hate that term), and how it was ever-so important to build a football team from the inside out.

While he is correct with that sentiment, he has shown anything but the ability to build a stable offensive line during his time on the job, despite the fact that he invested heavy resources into this 2019 unit. After a tumultuous 2-7 start – that has seen Eli Manning and Daniel Jones running for their lives more often than not – injuries are now opening the door for much-needed change, as Dan Duggan of the Athletic reported that the first-team unit looked much different at practice on Thursday.

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Ever since it was clear that this 2019 season was going not going to materialize into a successful one, my main point has been that struggling veterans that will not be a part of future plans need to be sat down, while younger players need to be given playing time to evaluate whether or not they could be here for the long term. If there is a bigger fan of Nick Gates’ potential as an NFL player than me, I’d like to meet them (and their therapist), as he was one of the main young players I’ve been saying needs to play immediately.

It looks like Mike Remmers’ nagging back injury may be the reason Gates finally sees regular season action, although even if Remmers feels better by Sunday, there is nothing that would make me happier than seeing the former Nebraska Cornhusker inserted into the starting lineup for the rest of the season. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that an undrafted combo lineman – that missed all of 2018 with an injury – is going to become an All-Pro. What I am telling you is that this offensive line has been horrible, and since Will Hernandez appears to be the only lineman worth keeping around for the future, it makes all the sense in the world to see if the Giants actually have something in Gates, who has looked outstanding in practice and the pre-season.

One way for a franchise to quickly turn around it’s fortunes is to hit big on an undrafted free agent at a key position. If Nick Gates can show that he can play at a high level, and potentially be a building block for the future at a massive position of need, some of the stink in the air from the Nate Solder contract can begin to dissipate. Gettleman has a history of uncovering gems along the offensive line from his time in Carolina, and I truly believe that Gates has the potential to be his version of what Andrew Norwell was for the Panthers while he was the head man in charge there (both were top high school prospects, played at high-level D1 colleges, and ended up stunningly going undrafted due to athleticism concerns).

Additionally, the ‘Jon Halapio experiment’ has fallen on it’s face in year two, after many were excited to see if he could replicate the decent ability he displayed before breaking his leg early on in 2018. The results are back in that regard, and they overwhelmingly point to Halapio being a mediocre center, at best. The former Florida Gator has been in the middle of numerous communication issues this year, and is far from the type of player you want anchoring your offensive line.

Spencer Pulley is another former undrafted player, although he brings much-more NFL experience to the table than Gates does at this time. Pulley started nine mostly up-and-down games after being scooped up on waivers by Big Blue in 2018, and started all sixteen games in a similar fashion with the Chargers in 2017. Gettleman and the Giants brass saw enough out of Pulley to sign him to a three-year, 9.6-million dollar contract in the off-season, and if he even can play to just an average level he’ll make that contract look like a steal over the next few seasons.

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Whether or not Nate Solder remains a part of this group moving forward, his cap charges will make it difficult for the Giants to heavily invest in the unit. While Pat Shurmur will likely be looking to trot the best team he possibly can out there for the rest of the way in an attempt to save his job, it actually would be more beneficial to him to show that he can develop young, cheap assets. Gettleman is going to have to get creative to make a functional offensive line moving forward, so it’s really in the team’s best interest to try anything and everything from here on out in 2019.

This all could be moot if Mike Remmers ends up suiting up on Sunday, but I’m really hoping it’s not. No disrespect to Remmers, as there have certainly been worse players on the team – and the offensive line- than him this season, but I don’t think any rational fan is actually campaigning for him to be here long-term. With Nate Solder not really being an option to sit on the bench due to his enormous contract, and the fact that he protects Daniel Jones’ blind side, he just may have to be the odd man out here as the franchise looks out for it’s own best future interests.

There is a real chance this offensive line grouping could be just as bad – if not worse – than the one we’ve struggled to watch all season. My point is, we won’t know that until they’re given a chance, and even if it is, it was still worth finding out.

Spencer Pulley and Nick Gates aren’t the only young offensive lineman on this team that are deserving of a chance to show what they can offer, and if they fail, it’ll just have to be next man up. However, if they do show that they are up to the task, they will provide this franchise with some much-needed positive growth at a position group that is holding this offense back from success.