For Giants offensive line, no news has been good news this season

It’s Week 6, and this is the first story I’ve written solely on the New York Giants offensive line since previewing the litany of offseason changes to the unit ahead of Week 1. Last season, I made it through four quarters of football before writing about the line’s struggles.

So yeah, that the offensive line hasn’t been a storyline is a story in itself. Five games down, it finally feels time to dive into what’s been working this year to make the group functional — because that is what’s changed. For the first time in a while, the Giants offensive line is playing well enough to not be a primarly talking point after each game.

One of the most obvious factors: Health is wealth. Once stalwart left tackle Andrew Thomas was injured in the 2023 opener, the situation just snowballed. If you want a reminder of how tough things had gotten last season, look no further than the team signing veteran Justin Pugh “straight off the couch.” By Week 6, Pugh was in the starting lineup.

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Those emergency signings haven’t been necessary this year. Knock on wood, Giants fans, but the five starters — left tackle Thomas, left guard Jon Runyan Jr., center John Michael Schmitz, right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor — have played every game. They’ve also been able to practice together consistently, with this week being the first time they weren’t fully participating in practice (Runyan was out with an illness Wednesday, and Van Roten took a veteran’s rest day). The fact they’ve all been able to play together has been key to the success.

“It starts up front,” said coach Brian Daboll, adding that he leans on the group once the game gets going about the kinds of blocks they want. “Those five guys seeing the game through the same set of eyes. Without those guys, you’re not getting plays downfield or an efficient passing game and pass protection or the screen game.”

The Giants made the line a top priority this offseason, signing veterans Runyan, Eluemunor and later Van Roten. The only true youth on the line is Schmitz, who was coming off a so-so rookie season in 2023. But he appears to be thriving in Year 2 with a better supporting cast than he had last year. Schmitz has an offensive-line-low seven pressures allowed and has surrendered zero sacks, per TruMedia. Van Roten has allowed a group-high 14 pressures and 13 hurries. Only Thomas (two) and Runyan (one) have been dinged for sacks allowed.

Of course, the one player who has benefitted the most from the O-line’s solid play is quarterback Daniel Jones. He has been able to get into a rhythm and put together a strong string of games following a dismal Week 1 performance. In Sunday’s win over the Seahawks, Jones went 23-for-34 for 257 passing yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

“I keep saying he’s a great quarterback,” Eluemunor said Sunday. “If you give him time, he’s going to dice up defenses. Ultimately, we take it on our shoulders to give him as much time as he needs. I don’t care how long he needs to hold the ball for, I’m going to make sure I block my guy and block him for as long as I can. The rest of the four guys on the O-line feel the same way.”

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Jones has been sacked just 12 times this season. After five games last year, Jones had been sacked 28 times.

The Giants currently rank 11th in the league in sack percentage allowed (6.3 percent). That’s a huge turnaround from finishing dead last in this stat (14.1 percent) in 2023.

Jones likes the consistency this season.

“They’ve played at a high level and protected well against a lot of good pass rushes,” Jones said. “I think that helps being able to get through my reads and get the ball out on time. It helps knowing that you’re going to be protected, and those guys have played pretty well.”

The improved line play has also benefited the run game. That was especially apparent Sunday, one week after a rough showing of only 26 total rushing yards on 24 attempts in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys. After the game, some of the offensive linemen really took to heart their role in the lack of rushing success. Against the Seahawks, though, the Giants rushed for a season-high 175 yards — about 90 yards more than their average in the first four games. Even more encouraging: The performance came without Devin Singletary, who missed the win with a groin injury. In his absence, Jones added 11 carries for 38 yards while rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. delivered a breakout performance with 129 yards on 18 carries. Both Jones and Tracy credited the offensive line’s execution and ability to open up lanes.

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“They were amazing,” Tracy said. “If you go back and watch the film, there’s a couple different times where I could have had two ways — I could have cut this way or cut that way. They did a great job of executing the techniques and executing the blocking scheme.”

The offseason changes under new position coach Carmen Bricillo have been coming together, and it’s led to a more cohesive group on offense. It may not be the top unit in the league, but it’s working, and that’s a much-needed change in New York.

“We’re starting to come together as an offensive line and as an offense,” Eluemunor said. “We know what type of team we can be. I think we’re starting to see that now.”

(Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)