When John Harbaugh became the head coach of the New York Giants, it was assumed that he would try to bring former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum with him. When the Giants saw the price tag for him, they had no choice but to pivot.
The G-Men stuck with an in-house option, giving John Michael Schmitz another go as a starter. After a quiet summer, the center sustained a reported injury near the end of training camp. After years of inconsistencies and injuries, this latest one may be the unfortunate push the Giants need to move on from the fourth-year pro.
While he has shown flashes, especially in pass protection, the Giants need consistency up front, something he has not been able to give. The team responded to Schmitz's injury by signing Brenden Jaimes. While Jaimes has 50 games of experience under his belt, he has only played in 13 games the past two seasons.
With JMS and newly signed reserve guard/center Lucas Patrick also being pretty banged up, sporting a noticeable limp after practice, and no serviceable veterans behind them, the Giants need to look to the OL market. Let's look at some names the Giants can look at bringing in to upgrade at the center position.
3 Centers Giants could pivot to after John Michael Schmitz injury
1. Greg Van Roten
YES! Bring the former Giant Greg Van Roten back! GVR might be up there in age, but he was more than a solid player during his time with the Giants. He can bring experience and leadership back to an offensive line that got off to a rocky start last year before becoming a top 12 unit to end the season.
Van Roten turned 36 this year, but he has proven he can still play. He knows the team inside and out and has great chemistry with the rest of the line. He filled in at center for the Giants a number of times last season and more than held his own.
Letting him take over at center would also help rookie guard Francis Mauigoa. The last thing the Giants need is a revolving door at center that messes up the chemistry of the entire offense. The asking price for GVR was high before, but with the injuries piling up, the front office needs to fly him down to West Virginia. The Giants better act fast, though, as the veteran is visiting the Patriots.
General manager Joe Schoen should already be picking up the phone.
2. Ryan Bates
Ryan Bates is another player the Giants should absolutely be calling in. Bates has been a solid offensive lineman for years in the league, and after moving on from the Bears this season, he's still looking for a new place to call home. The Giants actually met with Bates back in March of this offseason. The veteran offers good versatility, being able to play both center and guard.
He has played in 92 games over the course of a seven-year career, and after playing but not starting games last year, he could be available at a discount. Still only 29 years old, Bates being a free agent at this point is still a surprise. If the Giants can sign him, he'll bring an instant impact to the OL room.
3. Graham Glasgow
One of the most expensive offensive linemen left on the market, Graham Glasgow, is still a free agent. Glasgow might cost the Giants upwards of $9 million for the season, but the 10-year pro would solve a massive hole the Giants seem to be trending towards having upfront.
After letting two of their best reserve interior offensive linemen walk in Austin Schlottman and Van Roten, the Giants chose to bring back bust players Josh Ezeudu and Evan Neal, two players who fans thought they'd never see back in Giants blue.
The Giants' interior is not in good shape. There were already questions about Jon Runyan's performance, backup guard Aaron Stinnie didn't look good in the small quantities given to him last season, and new Giants guard Daniel Faalele doesn't exactly have the best track record if you've seen him play in Baltimore. Signing Glasgow would go a long way towards answering those same questions the Giants entered the offseason with.
The Giants are preparing themselves to be a juggernaut in the run game. They want to play a downhill, in-your-face, smashmouth, you know what we're going to do, but can you stop it type of football. If that's the identity they are building, then they need players who fit that role. A center in JMS, who isn't durable and one of the worst in the league in run blocking, doesn't fit that role.
A 33-year-old with 147 games notched under his belt in 10 years, blocking for some of the most dominant run games in the league the past decade, fits. Move some money around, make the call, and sure up this OL for the future of Jaxson Dart and the offense.
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