NY Giants to unveil yet another offensive line combination Week 1
Nate Solder, surprisingly, is listed as the NY Giants’ projected starting right tackle ahead of Sunday’s season-opener against the Denver Broncos
The NY Giants’ offensive line, four years into general manager Dave Gettleman’s tenure as general manager continues to very much be a work in progress.
Tuesday, ahead of Sunday’s season-opener against the Denver Broncos, the NY Giants revealed that yet another iteration of what has been a patchwork offensive line in recent seasons will take the field to open up the 2021 campaign.
Here’s a look at the NY Giants starting offensive line that will be in front of quarterback Daniel Jones, and presumably opening running lanes for running back Saquon Barkley:
LT – Andrew Thomas
LG – Shane Lemieux
C – Nick Gates
RG – Will Hernandez
RT – Nate Solder
Why Nate Solder starting is such a surprise for the NY Giants
Solder over second-year offensive tackle Matt Peart is among the more interesting personnel decisions anywhere on the roster.
While Solder got the start against the Patriots in the preseason finale, the offensive line improved once Peart replaced him later in the first quarter.
Prior to opting out of the 2020 season out of COVID-19 concerns for himself and his young son, who is a cancer survivor, Solder had one of the most disappointing seasons of his career.
In 2019, Solder surrendered 11 sacks and 56 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Peart will likely rotate in at either offensive tackle position, but the UConn alum was expected to anchor the right side of the line and form a bookend with 2020 No. 4 overall draft choice Andrew Thomas. Sitting Peart in favor of Solder is a glimpse of what the organization thinks of its second-year tackle.
Whoever is on the field for the NY Giants’ offensive line will face a daunting task against a Broncos front-seven that includes Bradley Chubb, future Hall of Famer Von Miller, and bourgeoning edge rusher Malik Reed, who produced eight sacks and 36 pressures last season.
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Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com.