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Breaking down the NY Giants starters who could end up getting benched

By Desmond Novack

Nov 28, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants inside linebacker Tae Crowder (48) intercepts a pass in front of free safety Xavier McKinney (29) during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants inside linebacker Tae Crowder (48) intercepts a pass in front of free safety Xavier McKinney (29) during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Training camp is off and running and we have begun to see who the NY Giants have been sending out the most with the first-team unit. While some players have been thrust into the starting lineup due to injuries, others are players who have been starting for the majority of their careers.

With things getting more and more heated in terms of positional battles, some guys are really  going to need to step their game up leading up to Week 1. Here’s how the G-Men looked early on both for offense and defense:

It is also worth noting that Dan Duggan later mentioned that Jon Feliciano started at center and Daniel Bellinger started at tight end. Despite this being the early starting lineup, things are likely to change, as we could see some players eventually be benched and replaced by guys  behind them.

Here are three NY Giants starters who could potentially be replaced with the 1s before the start of the season:

3. LG Shane Lemieux

Fans have missed emotions about Shane Lemieux being the starting left guard as of now. While it may make sense to start the veteran Lemieux, he has struggled early on in his career and it’s been disappointing to see for the Big Blue supporters.

During his rookie season in 2020, Lemieux started nine games – allowing five sacks while posting a PFF player grade of 32.2. In addition to this, Lemieux missed almost the entire 2021 season due to a torn patellar tendon.

While there is a good chance that Lemieux has made significant improvements since his rookie season, his extreme poor level of play makes it difficult to believe that it will be enough to be worthy of being a starter.

Behind him is rookie guard Josh Ezeudu out of North Carolina, who could potentially steal Lemieux’s starting spot. In a way, we understand why Lemieux is starting right now, as he is the more experienced player. However, experience doesn’t equal skill. If Ezeudu plays well during training camp and preseason, we could potentially see him start by Week 1 going up against the Tennessee Titans. Ezeudu has loads of potential and it could lead to him snagging the spot from Lemieux.

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