NY Giants sign former Steelers OL for needed depth up front
Get out the bubbly, the NY Giants have added a center to the roster. With the losses of Jon Feliciano and Nick Gates in free agency, a lot of fans have been worried about the offensive line depth for general manager Joe Schoen.
He went ahead and took a step forward in fixing that problem on Thursday, bringing in a 6-2, 295-pounder. In this case, we're talking about J.C. Hassenauer. It was announced by the team that they agreed to terms with the young hoss. Hassenauer has experience at multiple different positions, but the expectation is he'll play center for Big Blue.
The Giants have signed offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer to a new deal
Hassenauer recently took a visit to East Rutherford, but he left town without signing a new contract. However, his reps and the Giants front office remained in contact, leading to a new deal being put on the table and the lineman agreeing to the terms.
Hassenauer was a stud at Alabama, and he was actualy playing for the Crimson Tide while Daboll was still on staff in Tuscaloosa working under head man Nick Saban. After his brilliant playing days in the SEC, Hassenauer went undrafted, but he signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
The new Giants OL never suited up for the Falcons in the regular season and ultimately made his NFL debut with the Steelers in 2020. That season, he appeared in 15 games, starting four. In the past two years, he's posted 30 appearances for the Steelers, including playing in every contest last fall and winter.
While Hassenauer isn't expected to step in and start, he could really make the center battle interesting once camp rolls around. The Giants will still need to add a talented safety via the NFL Draft, but fans shouldn't sleep on the Hassenauer addition one bit.
READ MORE: 7 underrated targets for the NY Giants in the 2023 NFL Draft