With New York Giants training camp beginning in late July, BigBlueInteractive.com (BBI) breaks down each of the team’s positional groups until the players report at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
FIND A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL BREAKDOWNS HERE
POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN: Offensive Line
2024 YEAR IN REVIEW: For the first six weeks of the 2024 regular-season, the offensive line of the New York Giants remained intact with the same five starters. It was also arguably the best the NYG offensive line had played in a decade. The trouble began when Andrew Thomas suffered a serious Lisfranc injury in Week 6 and was lost for the season. The team foolishly tried Josh Ezeudu at left tackle again. The results were so bad that the Giants benched Ezeudu the following week for Chris Hubbard, who was just signed off of the Practice Squad of the 49ers. That lasted two games and the Giants then shifted Jermaine Eluemunor to left tackle from right tackle. Evan Neal, who had been recovering from offseason ankle surgery, was installed at right tackle. To make matters worse, in December, both Jon Runyan and John Michael Schmitz suffered ankle injuries. Runyan needed surgery and missed the rest of the year (four games). Schmitz missed the last two games of the season. Neal got hurt again with hip and rib injuries. By the end of the year, the starters were Elumunor (LT), Aaron Stinnie (LG), Van Roten (OC), Jake Kubas (RG), and Tyre Phillips (RT). What started off in promising fashion ended with the all-too-familiar pattern of injuries, questionable depth, ridiculous number of line-up changes on a weekly basis, and subpar play.
While not all of the responsibility of the offensive line, the four Giants quarterbacks were sacked 48 times (down from a ridiculous 85 in 2023). And despite the constant line-up changes, the team did manage to look respectable at times running the football. The Giants were 18th in yards per rush, averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
ADDITIONS/SUBTRACTIONS: Somewhat surprisingly, most have returned. Greg Van Roten and Aaron Stinnie were re-signed. So were Practice Squad centers Jimmy Morrissey and Bryan Hudson. Chris Hubbard remains unsigned and Tyre Phillips eventually signed with the Washington Commanders after the draft.
In free agency, the Giants signed swing tackles James Hudson from the Cleveland Browns and Stone Forsythe from the Seattle Seahawks. The Giants drafted Marcus Mbow in the 5th round of the 2025 NFL Draft and signed Jaison Williams as an undrafted rookie free agent.
TRAINING CAMP STORY LINES: Yes, I sound like a broken record, but outside of quarterback, the Giants brought the band back together. There is a very good chance that the five opening day starters will be the five who started the first six games of last season. That would mean Andrew Thomas at left tackle, Jon Runyan, Jr. at left guard, John Michael Schmitz at center, Greg Van Roten at right guard, and Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. Is that good enough?
The linchpin of this strategy is obviously Andrew Thomas, who has missed 18 of 34 games the last two seasons. The Giants need him to stay healthy. He did not practice in the spring and it remains to be seen if he will be full go by the time training camp starts (he was non-committal in a recent interview). It took the Giants two years to finally realize they need viable back-ups in case there is an issue at tackle. However, outsiders question if James Hudson, Stone Forsythe, and/or Marcus Mbow can do the job.
This will be a critical season for John Michael Schmitz, who has not really lived up to his 2nd-round draft status.
There will be much fan attention on the Evan Neal shift to left guard. But what is his pathway to start? It would seem he would not only have to prove he is one of the team’s five best offensive linemen, but the team would have to be willing to then shift Runyan to right guard unless they start giving Neal more reps at right guard. Meanwhile, Jake Kubas is flying under the radar and may have the cleaner path to press for starting time.
ON THE BUBBLE: There are currently 16 offensive linemen on the roster. Nine or 10 will make the 53-man squad. Those who may be left without chairs include Stone Forsythe, Joshua Ezeudu, Aaron Stinnie, Jaison Williams, Austin Schlottmann, Jimmy Morrissey, and Bryan Hudson. Evan Neal is probably not completely safe either.
FROM THE COACHES: Brian Daboll on Evan Neal: “He has done a nice job. He’s picked up things well inside.”
Offensive Line Coach Carmen Bricillo on Evan Neal: “He’s doing well so far. Excited to see when we put pads on what happens. But he’s embraced it. It’s been good so far… He’s played both sides (left and right guard).”
Carmen Bricillo on Marcus Mbow: “Mbow is a smart kid who cares, takes the job seriously, athletic. He’s a rookie and there’s miles to go. Like how he approaches things so far… Mbow has the athleticism and mental capabilities to swing and play different spots. Still early, no pads yet. We’ll walk before we can run. We anticipate him being able to play multiple spots.”
Carmen Bricillo on James Hudson: “He’s done a great job. We really like James. He’s been a good addition to the room. And he’s been a good addition to the line in the sense of the traits he has and can apply… We’re really excited about him.”
FINAL THOUGHTS: Right or wrong, team management, coaches, and players seem much higher on this group than the fans and pundits. Speaking about the team in general, Joe Schoen said recently, “We feel good about a lot of the front line guys, but also our depth players right now.” There also seems to be a quiet confidence with many of the players that the unit will be far better than expected.
Re-signing Greg Van Roten was a bit eye-opening and the other free agent moves addressed depth, not the starting line-up. The Giants drafted one offensive lineman, and that came in the 5th round. Also interestingly, the team signed only one rookie free agent. There is a really good chance that the starters remain the same. And it’s quite likely that only two of the reserves will be new faces.
If you’re a glass half-full type, the return of a veteran starting line-up that played well in the first six games may be encouraging. After all, the sum of the offensive line on the respective New York Giants Super Bowl teams was always greater than the individual parts. Those units didn’t have a lot of Pro Bowlers on them either, but they knew each other and played well together. If everyone stays healthy, the Giants can win with Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor at tackle. Depth should be better with Hudson and Mbow. We won’t see Evan Neal and Josh Ezeudu out there anymore.
Inside could be a little less predictable. The coaches seem to really like Van Roten’s intangibles and he can play center in a pinch, but he’s not an ideal starter. Can Evan Neal or Jake Kubas make enough noise in a few padded practices and preseason games to push for a starting job?
If you’re a glass half-empty type, you’ve already resigned yourself to Andrew Thomas getting hurt again. You probably believe signing Hudston to a 2-year, $12 million deal was stupid and Marcus Mbow isn’t well suited to tackle. You think John Michael Schmitz sucks and Jon Runyan is overpaid. Overall, you think the Giants are miles away from fixing the offensive line.
As the season rapidly approaches, the most fascinating aspect is how much better (or not) this offensive team will be simply because of one change (quarterback). Everything else has pretty much stayed the same, and that includes the offensive line.
FINAL DEPTH CHART: Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor, James Hudson, Marcus Mbow, Jon Runyan, Jr., Greg Van Roten, Evan Neal, Jake Kubas, and John Michael Schmitz.