New York Giants Training Camp Preview: Offensive Line

As the month of July nears a close, that means one thing in the NFL; the beginning of training camps. For a team like the New York Giants, it will be another important training camp. Last season it was the offense receiving an overhaul, this time it will be the defense. They brought back a familiar face in Steve Spagnuolo to be the defensive coordinator, replacing Perry Fewell. Also, there are still some kinks to be worked out offensively, as second year offensive coordinator had a good rookie campaign last season in which he will look to build upon.

This could be a make or break season for the Giants from a franchise era standpoint. If they miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, we could see a real overhaul not only on the roster, but coaching staff as well. Tom Coughlin has overseen two Super Bowl titles as his time as head coach with the Giants, but very little success outside of that, missing the playoffs six times and being one and done in the playoffs the other four times they made the postseason.

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Could the Giants break their streak of missing the playoffs, and continue their trend of winning the Super Bowl every four seasons? Training camp will give a lot of insight to where the Giants are at, as there are plenty of questions to be answered once the Giants open camp July 29th. We will have you covered on the storylines to follow here at Empire Writes Back, giving a position by position preview heading up to that date. The third position we will take a look at will be tight end.

Depth Chart:

Starters: LT Ereck Flowers, LG Justin Push, C Weston Richburg, RG Geoff Schwartz, RT Marshall Newhouse; Will Beatty (Starter When Healthy)
Backups: John Jerry, Dallas Reynolds, Brandon Mosley, Bobby Hart
Potential Cuts: Brett Jones, Adam Gettis, Eric Herman, Michael Bamiro, Emmett Cleary, Sean Donnelly

More Training Camp Previews: Quarterback, Running Back, Tight End, Wide Receiver

The offensive line has been a problem for the Giants for the past couple of seasons. Age and ineffectiveness caught up to this unit quickly, so the Giants began making a conscious effort last season to address those problems. They used resources in free agency (Geoff Schwartz) and high draft picks (first round pick Justin Pugh, second round pick Weston Richburg). It didn’t go as planned, as injuries ravaged them, so they continued to add to the unit this offseason.

They used another top pick on the offensive line, selecting Ereck Flowers ninth overall. The Giants looked to be finally putting together a strong unit, as they expected to bring Flowers along slowly as either a backup, or not put too much on his plate to start by having him play RT because of his massive size. Well, that plan was pushed aside quickly, as Will Beatty suffered a torn pectoral lifting weights, putting him out possibly for half the season.

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Because of that, the starters projected above are what the Giants used during OTAs and the spring. There is a good chance that it all changes once training camp opens up, as Tom Coughlin and the coaching staff are sure to mix and match things to see what works and what doesn’t.

The key to the alignment without Beatty is the progress of Flowers. If he is deemed not ready for protecting the blindside of Eli Manning, the Giants could shift Pugh back to tackle, or flip Marshall Newhouse over to LT from RT. That is not an ideal situation, as in a perfect world Newhouse wouldn’t even be in the starting lineup, instead being used as a backup swing tackle. Brandon Mosley is another player to keep an eye on, as he was used at RT during minicamp and could find his way into a prominent role if he is outperforming the players currently ahead of him.

While the tackles are currently up in the air, the Giants will at least be strong up the middle with their currently alignment. Richburg played out of position last year as LG, as J.D. Walton played Center. The Giants cut ties with Walton this offseason, and the Center spot is now Richburg’s as the Giants had planned. Schwartz is most comfortable at RG, and the Giants are hoping he is recovered from the toe and ankle injuries that plagued him last season. He will probably be brought along slowly, but his presence in the starting lineup for more than two games will definitely be a boost.

Aug 3, 2014; Canton, OH, USA; New York Giants center Weston Richburg (60) against the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 Hall of Fame game at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pugh was projected by some to eventually move to Guard in the NFL after playing Tackle in college, and that is what the Giants are doing now. He should profile well at Guard after struggling last season at tackle as his length is better suited at Guard. Also, the alignment with Schwartz, Richburg and Pugh in the middle should help the Giants offensive line become more of a mauling one to help get the running game going.

This was a unit the Giants were finally looking to improve, but once again it is undone by injuries. This could be a blessing in disguise for the Giants though, as they will get a real look at what Flowers can do. He was projected by many to be a franchise left tackle eventually if he could work on his technique and grow as a player. Maybe that growth will come sooner than thought, and the Giants have their new blindside protector ready to go now.

Or, he could need some more seasoning like people think, and the Giants could be looking at another carousel season along the offensive line.

Next: 5 Reasons Why The Giants Could Miss The Playoffs

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