The New York Giants overhauled their interior offensive line, particularly the guard positions, after being a significant weakness last season. The top three guards in terms of snaps include Ben Bredeson, Justin Pugh, and Mark Glowinski. The Giants parted ways with all three players this offseason, as Bredeson signed with the Buccaneers, Pugh remains unsigned (is interested in a return), and they released Glowinski.
The Giants replaced them by signing Aaron Stinnie to a one-year, $1,292,500 contract. The former undrafted free agent from 2018 is on his third team and enters his seventh year in the league. He has played 31 games with 12 starts so far, including 11 at LG in 2023 with the Buccaneers.
They also signed a guard from a rival.
The New York Giants signed a guard from the Green Bay Packers
The Giants signed Jon Runyan Jr. to a three-year, $30 million contract. The former 6th-round pick from the 2020 NFL draft spent the first four seasons of his career with the Packers. He has played 67 games with 50 starts (22 at LG and 28 at RG), including 17 starts at RG in 2023.
Finally, they signed a guard from the AFC.
The New York Giants signed a guard from the AFC West
The Giants signed Greg Van Roten to a contract. Aaron Wilson of KPCR 2 released a snippet of his contract.
Van Roten, a former undrafted free agent from 2012, turns 35 in February and will be on his eighth NFL team. He has played 110 games with 71 starts in his career and has predominantly played right guard over the past four seasons. He started every game at RG in 2023 with the Raiders and had his best season as a pro, recording a 77.4 pass block grade, a 68.5 run block grade, and a 75.3 PFF grade.
Will Greg Van Roten start in 2024?
The Raiders signed Van Roten to compete for the starting right guard job and three reasons why he has a good shot of winning.
First, Evan Neal is recovering from his ankle injury and is currently on the PUP list. Since Neal is on the PUP list, Jermaine Eluemunor switched from left guard to right tackle during training camp and has a good shot of dethroning Neal.
Second, Jon Runyan Jr. has experience playing left guard and would slide to the left if Van Roten starts on the right side. As mentioned previously, Runyan started 22 of his 50 games on the left side. He had his best statistical season in 2021, starting every game at LG and posting a 65.1 PFF grade.
Finally, instead of starting at left guard, Aaron Stinnie would serve as the backup to Runyan in this hypothetical. Stinnie has predominantly played left guard throughout his career and has played 966 snaps at LG vs. 216 at RG, including regular and post-season. The last time he played right guard was during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run during the 2020-21 playoffs, playing 201 snaps in three starts.
It will be interesting to see how the Giants handle their offensive line once Evan Neal recovers. It will all come down to Neal’s health.
