Nate Solder – LT
There is, perhaps, one player with more to prove than Saquon Barkley in his return to the NY Giants’ offense, and that’s Nate Solder.
Solder was signed in 2018 to a four year, $62 million contract. The 32-year-old veteran is currently the sixth highest paid lineman in the NFL. But the Giants have seen little to nothing in their return on investment.
Solder was sorely missed in 2020. His opting out forced fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas to play the most important position on the offensive line. And while Thomas played hurt, got better as the season went on, and showed more potential than the bust who was Ereck Flowers, he still has a ways to go.
In PFF’s final season rankings, the Giants’ offensive line was rated the 31st in the league. Thomas allowed 14 more pressures than any other left tackle, and led the league in sacks allowed with 10. On the right side, presumably where Thomas would have started had Solder played left tackle, Cameron Fleming allowed the sixth most pressures in the league.
The offensive line has no where to go but up with Nate Solder coming back. And there’s reason to believe that he’ll come back strong.
During his tenure with the New England Patriots, Solder went down with an injury in 2015, forcing him to miss 12 games. He ended that season with a PFF overall rating of 70.
But when he came back in 2016, well rested and ready to play, PFF rated him 85.8 — the highest of his career. And since he was rated only 64.9 (the lowest of his career), in his last season played for the Giants, perhaps some time off will do him well.
He’s certainly earned it. Solder played 2038 offensive snaps across the 2018 and 2019 season. Andrew Thomas played fewer than 1000 in his first season.
Nate Solder is a former first rounder, a two time Super Bowl champion, and has nearly a decade of experience playing one of the most important positions on the football field. Expect the offensive line to improve with him back in the locker room.