One in, one out on the Giants’ offensive line, as the team is reportedly losing guard Will Hernandez to Arizona, but is also poised to sign former Cardinals guard Max Garcia to a one-year deal.
Garcia, 30, started 11 games for Arizona last season, and while he earned just a 56.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, he took just four penalties in 808 snaps (509 at right guard) and allowed only four sacks, tied for 17th in the NFL.
The versatile lineman, who was originally a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in 2015, was mostly a special-teamer in his first two seasons in Arizona before last season, but in his career he has made 39 starts at left guard, nine at right guard, and four at center in his career.
Garcia gives the Giants another low-cost, one-year veteran on an offensive line that is being completely rebuilt. So far this offseason, the Giants have signed former Bills guard Jon Feliciano to play center and ex-Colt Mark Glowinski to play one guard spot, and also added Garcia, Matt Gono, Korey Cunningham, and Jamil Douglas to join a line that also includes anchor left tackle Andrew Thomas.
The team also hopes to get guard Shane Lemieux, tackle Matt Peart, and center/guard Nick Gates back at various points in 2022, and has Ben Bredeson back from 2021 as well.
Meanwhile, in what amounts to a free agency swap, the Cards get Hernandez, who was a disappointment over four seasons in New York. However, Cards offensive line coach Sean Kugler was Hernandez’s college line coach at UTEP, so perhaps Kugler can unlock the potential that led Hernandez to become Big Blue’s second-round pick in 2018.
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Hernandez had a 55.9 rating from PFF in 1049 snaps, all at right guard, in 2021, a continuance of a regression that has seen his overall grade go down every year since posting a 67.9 mark as a rookie.
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