One of the biggest position battles heading into the 2021 season for the Giants will be among the offensive line, where the team has lacked production in recent years.
Andrew Thomas and Nick Gates appear to be likely starters for Big Blue, but the right tackle and both guard positions are likely going to be there for the taking later this summer.
After being graded as the worst offensive line unit in the league last year by Pro Football Focus, former Giants offensive lineman David Diehl believes 2021 will be a season of improvement for the Giants’ O-line.
“I definitely think they’ll be better than they were in 2020,” Diehl told Moose and Kim Jones on Thursday. “I think they’re going to take a big step forward. I think that’s where part of the scheme fit of what the giants need to do in 2021 needs to be complimentary to the offensive line. I think anybody watching Giants games in 2020 saw there were certain games that Jason Garrett had to pull back some of the reins to contain and hopefully protect some of the inefficiencies with the offensive line last year.”
Will Hernandez and Shane Lemieux will be among those battling for playing time at the guard positions, while Matt Peart will be in the running for the right tackle spot, and Nate Solder, back from opting out of last season, will be in the running for a spot as well. Whoever is in front of Daniel Jones this season, Diehl thinks it will be a more cohesive unit, and it will have to be to allow New York to figure out what it has in Jones, who is entering his third season.
“I think that’s where this offensive line has to come together in 2021, so we can all get a full and fair assessment of where Daniel Jones is and if he is actually the franchise quarterback moving forward,” Diehl said. “The offensive line has got to gel together and play better than they did last year. I believe Andrew Thomas will be much better with an offseason under his belt and all the experience he had last year…the one thing that I loved that I saw out of him, he made sure he was making corrections in terms of his techniques and fundamentals. I never saw him shy away from the physicality of it.”
Diehl is also confident that the Giants’ new offensive weapons like Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney at wide receiver will help alleviate the pressure on the line, as well as the return of Saquon Barkley. In short, Diehl is expecting a much better season for the Giants offense, including a return to form for Barkley after missing almost all of last season with a torn ACL.
“I think we’re going to see the same type of performance out of him that we saw in his rookie season,” Diehl said.
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