New York Giants: Jerry Reese Must Be Creative to Upgrade Offensive Line
General manager Jerry Reese did not spend many resources this offseason to upgrade the offensive line, which remains as the team’s weakest link moving into the 2017-18 season.
The Giants offense has countless playmakers on its roster. There is so much game-breaking talent at the pass-catching positions, and yet I strongly doubt the offense will reach that potential.
As seen last year, it doesn’t matter how many weapons there are on the roster.
Without a good offensive line, the offense as a whole will be as disappointing as it was last year. Sure, they added a speedy tight-end in Evan Engram and veteran receiver in Brandon Marshall, but without protection, the playcalling will be as predictable as last season.
Ben McAdoo’s playcalling is predictable for a simple reason. There is no running game behind their current offensive line. This forces the Giants to rely on a short-passing game, which means throwing slants to Odell Beckham Jr and hoping he finds open space to run.
The architect of this poor offensive line is Jerry Reese, who continues to have faith in Ereck Flowers at the left tackle position for some odd reason.
He struggled mightily as a rookie (which was excused because he was new), but he was equally bad last season. Yet, Reese did not sign or draft an offensive lineman to compete with him.
The reason for no free agency addition is due to the price tag associated with the left tackle
More from Empire Writes Back
- Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
- Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
- Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
- PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
- Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!
position. He didn’t want to spend roughly $34 million for an aging, but reliable, Andrew Whitworth, and stuck with Flowers. Okay, we see the reasoning here.
In the draft, there was no “lock” offensive lineman available at pick 23. But, why not take a chance in the middle rounds? Although they took Adam Bisnowaty in the sixth round, they missed out on better prospects in rounds two through four.
However, Reese’s biggest strikeout is in the trading market. For some unknown reason, he has never been creative enough to trade for an offensive lineman over the past few seasons.
The Detroit Lions acquired St. Louis’s 2014 No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson for a sixth round pick. It was clear that Robinson had dropped out of the Rams’ rotation, but was Reese ever on the phone with them?
Most of Reese’s sixth round picks have made the roster, so why not take a chance and trade for Robinson? He has the potential to be a stud, and the risk is minimal. If he thinks coaching can
More from New York Giants
- Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
- When will the New York Giants’ First Win Come?
- New York Giants Look Horrible in Loss to 49ers
- New York Giants to Play an Injured 49ers Team Sunday
- New York Giants: Breaking Down the Devonta Freeman Signing
make Flowers good, then imagine what the same coaching would do to Robinson, who has more upside than Flowers.
Unless Reese makes a trade for Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, fans will see a largely inept offensive line limiting the Giants’ potential yet again.
Knowing the history, I don’t think Reese is creative enough to orchestrate a deal for a replacement lineman. I also don’t think Flowers is anywhere as good as Reese thinks he is, so I expect left tackle to be a glaring issue throughout the season.
I hope I’m wrong, but unless some creative juices flow towards Jerry Reese, this offensive line will still need to be upgraded for serious playoff expectations.