Even before drafting Miami All-American right tackle Francis Mauigoa, the common talking point regarding the New York Giants’ offseason has been continuity.Â
John Harbaugh inherited a group that returns four starters, with Mauigoa moving to right guard. Left guard Jon Runyan and center John Michael Schmitz are both entering contract years, which ideally would provide the extra incentive needed to secure a long-term deal on the open market.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus clearly doesn’t have much faith in Schmitz, ranking him as the league’s No. 26 center. But what’s especially interesting is Cameron speculating about his immediate future in New York.
“Although Schmitz is viewed as the incumbent for the Giants and not currently in danger of losing his status as the starter, that could change in the coming weeks or months under John Harbaugh’s new regime,” Cameron wrote.Â
John Michael Schmitz is locked into Giants' starting center job
Let’s start with the obvious. There have been zero credible reports about the Giants even considering benching Schmitz or giving Lucas Patrick or Bryan Hudson an opportunity. Barring injuries, the current starting five — Runyan, Schmitz, Mauigoa, left tackle Andrew Thomas, and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor — is exactly who you’ll see in Week 1 against the Cowboys.
Ranking Schmitz that low is one thing, and it’s another conversation entirely. However, creating the impression that he’s at risk of losing his job within the “coming weeks or months” isn’t just baffling, but simply untrue.Â
Starting centers do not grow on trees, and if the Giants really wanted to replace Schmitz, then they’d have tried to draft a center in April. Instead of picking Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields at No. 74, they could have taken Texas A&M center Trey Zuhn III, who went No. 91 to the Raiders — and to be clear, we’re not saying that the Giants should have taken Zuhn. We’re simply pointing out that the Giants had an opportunity to draft a center and looked elsewhere.
“Across his three seasons in the NFL, Schmitz has yet to prove he’s worthy of being the entrenched starter, having never surpassed a 62.0 overall PFF grade for a season,” Cameron wrote.
Pro Football Focus grades have become especially controversial and divisive, with former and current players calling out the outlet and its inexact grading system. But there is absolutely no reason why Harbaugh and the new regime’s presence would matter at this point. Schmitz’s first three years clearly did not factor into the Giants’ offseason plans, and there was never any indication that they’d cut ties with him.
The bottom line is that Schmitz is a competent enough starter. If that’s not good enough for Pro Football Focus to have realistic expectations for him, then we’re not sure what would satisfy their staffers.Â
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