You've got to give it to NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen. He saw how terrible the offensive line was in 2023, giving up a league-worst 83 sacks, and he's been on the grind this offseason in making sure things get fixed.
The additions of guard Jon Runyan Jr. and tackle Jermaine Eluemunor stand out, but bringing in Austin Schlottmann and Aaron Stinnie on affordable deals was brilliant too. Now, even more depth has arrived, with the Giants working on yet another new deal, this time with former Lions right tackle Matt Nelson. Nelson was in town for a visit and it didn't take long for him to make his decision:
We've agreed to terms with OT Matt Nelson
— New York Giants (@Giants) March 22, 2024
Details: https://t.co/zLM1cMJEq6 pic.twitter.com/CsS16OAGdQ
The Giants agreed to terms with OT Matt Nelson to add even more depth
Nelson just wrapped up this fourth season with the Lions. While suiting up for the NFC East side, the 6-7, 315-pounder appeared in 43 games, highlighted by 11 starts during the 2021 season. In 2023, he was limited to only three contests (two starts) due to an ankle injury that landed him on Injured Reserve.
He won't be competing for a starting job, but with former Giants OT Matt Peart signing with the Broncos, the need was there for another big body up front, which is exactly where Nelson will come in. This could also give Brian Daboll more flexibility if the expected call of Evan Neal moving to guard goes down.
According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, the Giants have already reached out to Neal's camp about him potentially making a switch to left guard. This would allow Runyan to play at his preferred right guard spot, while also allowing the former No. 7 overall pick to go to work next to All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas.
Countless times over the past two seasons, Neal's play has been tough to watch on the outside and it has been a major problem for whoever has been running the offense. Signing Nelson alone doesn't mean Neal is a lock to be moved to guard, but when you take into account all of the other signings, it feels like Schoen and Daboll have made up their minds here.