This offseason, NY Giants general manager Joe Schoen made several key moves, of course including making improvements up front. The Giants had the worst offensive line in the NFL in 2023, giving up 85 sacks on Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito.
The unit as a whole was a nightmare to watch and the hamstring injury to All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas only made things worse. However, Schoen brought in several new bodies, highlighted by guard/tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and guard Jon Runyan Jr. Despite that, Pro Football Focus still has the G-Men as the worst offensive line in football.
PFF has listed the NY Giants with the worst offenslve line in the NFL
"Even after earning the worst offensive line grade of any team in 2023, the Giants did very little to improve their unit this offseason. The group recorded a 44.6 PFF grade last year and will hope a fully healthy Andrew Thomas and the additions of guard Jon Runyan (56.5 PFF grade in 2023) and tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (68.7) can provide a boost."PFF''s John Kosko
On the flip side of things, the Lions, per PFF, have the No. 1 offensive line. For the Giants, there simply has to be a 180 in terms of the line's performance in 2024. Fortunately, we have a feeling that Runyan and Eluemunor will be able to make a massive impact.
Not only that, but Bobby Johnson was fired the day after the season ended and Brian Daboll didn't take too long to find a replacement, hiring former Raiders offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo to the same position. Bricillo will have a lot of pressure on him too, especially in terms of helping Evan Neal take a massive leap in Year 3.
The expectation is that Neal will get one more shot to prove he can be a stud right tackle for the G-Men. If that happens, then a parade might be thrown in Bricillo's honor, as Neal has been a huge disappointment in his first two seasons.
As things stand, it looks like the line will be made up of LT Thomas, LT Runyan, C John Michael Schmitz, RG Eluemunor and RT Neal. Thomas is the leader for the unit, but his OL mates have loads of potential too. For now, the Giants' line is still being laughed at, but maybe by the middle of the season the five starters can make publications like PFF eat their words.