Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the New York Giants' top offseason priority this year will be to address the offensive line.
If it seems like this has been an ongoing issue that doesn’t seem to end, it’s because that’s what it has been. The Giants have been guilty of either not adding young talent through the draft, as they did last year, or rolling the dice on talent that just hasn’t worked out for whatever reason and that has caused a major headache for the quarterbacks on this team.
General manager Joe Schoen tried again last offseason to fix the unit, going the veteran route with Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, Greg Van Roten, Austin Schlottmann, and Aaron Stinnie.
For as long as the starting group of Andrew Thomas, Runyan, John Michael Schmitz, Van Roten, and Eluemunor was healthy, that route seemed to work, but then, when injuries struck the unit, the lack of depth was sorely exposed.
Even now, as the Giants head into the offseason rebuild process, they have at least one question about the starting five: at right guard, where Greg Van Roten, last year’s starter, is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
The Giants could look to fill the vacancy by either re-signing Van Roten or having a competition between Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu, and Jake Kubas. Or, as Pro Football Focus’s Zoltan Buday projected in his list of free-agent matches for various teams, they could look to add pending UFA Will Fries.
The 26-year-old right guard started 31 games for the Indianapolis Colts in the first four seasons of his NFL career, steadily becoming more impactful each year. But he suffered a serious right tibia injury in Week 5 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars and missed the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
Before that devastating moment, though, the former seventh-round draft pick out of Penn State earned a superb 86.9 overall grade from PFF.
That fairly small sample size might be enough to draw significant interest from the open market. Fries' youth, promise, and intangibles should command attention around the league.
The Giants must consider Fries' health if they decide to target him in free agency. It is only natural for the Giants to exercise caution with a player returning from a season-ending injury.
That being said, the benefits of signing this player are undeniable. When a player who was 11 picks away from being dubbed Mr. Irrelevant dramatically increases his value, a strong work ethic is usually a major reason. Being part of a room with Quenton Nelson, one of the best guards in the game today, does not hurt either.
Fries has honed his skills and become a reliable presence in the trenches. He allowed two sacks and six total pressures in five games last season. The Giants should consider investing a decent portion of the estimated $43 million they will have in this potential O-line stabilizer.
Regardless of whom New York brings in, it is crucial to solidify this position group.
