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New York Giants: Ereck Flowers Must Be Moved From Left Tackle

By Nick Ziegler

Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Ereck Flowers (74) prepares to block Washington Redskins linebacker Preston Smith (94) during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; New York Giants offensive tackle Ereck Flowers (74) prepares to block Washington Redskins linebacker Preston Smith (94) during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Giants tackle Ereck Flowers really struggled in 2016. Next season, he can’t be the starting left tackle for the Giants.

It was a tough end to their season for the New York Giants. One of the reasons for some of the Giants’ struggles against both the Packers and throughout the season was the performance of left tackle Ereck Flowers.

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The Giants’ offensive line was certainly the weak point of their team, and Flowers was one of the reasons why. As the starting left tackle, Flowers struggled to hold his own against many opposing pass-rushers.

This offseason, general manager Jerry Reese has to take a long hard look at Flowers’ ability to play left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers allowed the second-most pressures of any tackle in the NFL last season.

“We will evaluate that. Is he the left tackle? Should he be in a different position? We will evaluate that,” Reese said to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. “But I do think that he is a big, strong kid who has a chance to be a really good player, so I still believe he has a chance to be a good player.”

The Giants have high hopes for Flowers, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, Flowers might be best suited to make a move to the right side next year, which was also a weakness this season.

“Again, it’s a work in progress, Ereck’s working hard in practice, trying to develop the techniques, it’s just a matter of taking the techniques he’s working on in practice and taking it to take the game,” offensive line coach Mike Solari said to Raanan.”

In his rookie season, Flowers did battle through some leg injuries which gave him an excuse for his tough season. This season, there really isn’t any excuse for how poorly he played.

“Ereck has played basically every snap since he has been here,” Reese said to Raanan. “He is an early-out junior, still a young player, but it is time for him to show us the fruits of being a first-round draft pick, and I still think he has a chance to do that.”

This offseason, it will be important for the Giants to make acquiring a left tackle one of their top priorities. If the Giants had a better left tackle this season, they would have had a drastically different offense. Due to poor protection, the Giants’ offense was rather limited to quick passes to protect Eli Manning.

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The Giants don’t have to give up on Flowers just yet. However, they must try to get a left tackle and move Flowers to right tackle.

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