Come on, are people going to forget too quickly how dominant Andrew Thomas is on the outside? Yes, the 2023 season, just like for everyone on the NY Giants, was rough for Thomas. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 on a freak special teams play, forcing him to miss a large chunk of the year.
However, when healthy and on the field, Thomas reminded everyone of why he was a Second-Team All Pro left tackle the year before. Plain and simple, Thomas is the straw that stirs the drink for the Big Blue offensive live and another monster year will be on the way for him.
However, not everyone is as high on Thomas, as Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the No. 11 OT in the game ahead of the new campaign. What in the world?
The Top-10 offensive tackles in the NFL going into next season, per @PFF_Zoltan pic.twitter.com/4rVHbwJ4yY
— PFF (@PFF) May 28, 2024
Andrew Thomas not ranked among the Top 10 OTs in the NFL is a joke
"Another player whose 2023 season was impacted by injuries, Thomas was unable to replicate his terrific 2022 season as he played a career-low 576 snaps last year. However, his 90.3 overall grade in 2022 ranked third at the position, and he finished in the top 10 in pass-blocking grade last year even though it was a relatively down year for the Giants tackle."PFF's Zoltan Buday
At minimum, we think Thomas should be in the Top 10, no question ahead of No. 9 Rashawn Slater and No. 10 Kolton Miller. We'll just say that we'll agree to disagree with Mr. Buday with this highly-questionable take of his.
On the other hand, though, it's understandable why Thomas isn't so high on the list. Due to the hamstring injury in 2023, he played in 10 games, missing seven. Thomas injured himself in the season-opener vs. the Cowboys trying to chase down a Dallas player after a Graham Gano kick got blocked. You can't even make that kind of stuff up.
If anything, it spoke volumes to the terrible luck the Giants had with injuries last season. Remember when tight end Daniel Bellinger and center John Michael Schmitz got injured on a 'tush push' play? Again, can't even make it up.
Looking ahead to next season, the Giants, who went 6-11 in '23, must record a 180 and it all starts up front. There's plenty of buzz surrounding new OL coach Carmen Bricillo, plus new signings Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor, but Thomas is no question the leader of the group. Look for him to dominate once Week 1 arrives and keep up his strong play the rest of the way. He doesn't need to do it, but he'll go ahead and prove he's among the best OTs in the game - certainly not No. 11.