ben bredeson

The New York Giants might have a big problem at left guard

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New York Giants, Shane Lemeiux

In just the first week of training camp, the expected starting offensive guard for the New York Giants, Shane Lemieux, suffered a knee injury that has kept him out ever since. Slowly rehabilitating and working his way back from the injury, Lemieux is still projected to be the Week 1 starter against the Denver Broncos. However, the knee issue he is facing is far more significant than originally reported.

Head coach Joe Judge indicated that Lemieux’s injury wasn’t notable and that the team had dodged a bullet. Nonetheless, it was discovered that Lemieux was dealing with a partially torn patellar tendon, which doesn’t bode well for the second-year player who struggled considerably during his rookie season. Shane is still committed to starting the regular season and fighting through the injury, despite the pain and the potential for a complete tendon tear.

Last season, Lemieux allowed five sacks, 14 QB hurries, and 25 pressures as one of the worst graded pass-blocking linemen in the NFL. The Giants trusting him with a starting job and injecting minimal competition was optimistic, to begin with, which led to them trading a fourth-round pick for Baltimore Ravens interior guard Ben Bredeson, a 5th round and 7th round pick.

Bredeson played in just five games last year, with all but one snap coming at in-line tight end. However, the fourth-round pick from 2020 out of Michigan had a stellar preseason at right guard, allowing just two hurries and two pressures over 182 offensive snaps.

The former Michigan stand-out has experience playing right and left guard, giving him a bit of versatility for a team that is still looking for a bonafide starter on the left side.

The Giants have a big decision to make in less than two weeks: either starting an injured player who struggled in his rookie season or plugging in a newly acquired lineman who doesn’t even know the playbook. The Giants will have to provide him with a crash course to prepare to potentially make a Week 1 appearance.

Ideally, the Giants will have Lemieux start against Denver, and Bredeson prepare for Week 2 against Washington, as the Giants play that upcoming Thursday night on a short week.

The issue at left guard is a bit more strenuous than previously thought, especially with the news regarding Lemieux’s injury. The Giants seem to be scrambling but at least have a long-term fix. There’s no guaranteeing Bredeson will pan out. The front office might’ve been a bit too confident considering the turnover they just experienced in the trenches.

New York Giants: Who should start at left guard in Week One?

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New York Giants, Shane Lemeiux

The New York Giants had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL in 2020. In 2020, according to ESPN, the Giants’ pass-block win rate ranked dead-last in the NFL at 46%. Their run-block win rate ranked 18th at 70%, which is about average or slightly below. Despite this, the team made no major moves to upgrade their offensive line in the 2021 offseason until just this week.

The Giants made a couple of key moves on the offensive line this week. They traded for two interior offensive linemen in Billy Price and Ben Bredeson. It was extra important that the Giants add depth to the interior after Shane Lemieux suffered a knee injury during training camp. Two Giants offensive guards also retired this summer.

Shane Lemieux is working back from an injury but is still the projected starter for Week One. The second-year left guard out of Oregon started eight games last season. But, with his injury in consideration, the case could be made for newly-acquired Ben Bredeson to start ahead of Lemieux.

The cases for and against Shane Lemieux

Shane Lemieux started the final eight games of the 2020 season for the New York Giants as a rookie. The Giants would like to keep some continuity across the offensive line this season. Starting Lemieux would allow the team to accomplish that goal.

Shane Lemieux is a young, developing player. He worked extremely hard this summer, sometimes showing up to the facility prior to 6 am to prepare for practice. An improved version of Lemieux was expected to hit the field this season after he struggled in 2020.

In 2020, Shane Lemieux earned a 32.2 overall PFF grade. He was a liability in pass protection, allowing 25 pressures and 5 sacks in eight games.

Shane Lemieux has worked hard to improve his game this offseason and the Giants want to keep that continuity. However, Lemieux is dealing with a partially torn patellar tendon. The team could consider giving Shane some extra time to heal and starting one of their newly-acquired linemen instead.

The cases for and against Ben Bredeson

If the Giants are going to start one of their newly acquired offensive linemen, Ben Bredeson is far more likely to start than Billy Price. Billy Price is mainly a center and the Giants feel comfortable with Nick Gates at that position.

Ben Bredeson, however, is traditionally an offensive guard. He is also coming off of an impressive 2021 preseason. Ben Bredeson was the 11th highest graded guard of the preseason (80.8), per PFF. Bredeson actually played the most snaps (182) among all guards this preseason.

It might be a bit short notice for Ben Bredeson to start for the Giants. They acquired him with under two weeks to go until the start of the regular season. Bredeson is not going to have the same level of chemistry with his teammates or the same depth of knowledge in the playbook that Shane Lemieux has.

Ben Bredeson might be the better, more established, and healthier player between the two. However, it might be a bit short notice for him to start a game for his new team. The New York Giants offensive line struggled greatly in the preseason and is a cause for major concern as the regular season begins. The Giants are going to have to make a confident decision and hope for the best at the left guard position.

New York Giants trade for OL Ben Bredeson from Baltimore, what does he bring?

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new york giants, ben bredeson

The New York Giants understand they need more offensive line support, especially after cutting Kenny Wiggins, Jackson Barton, Jonotthan Harrison, and Brett Heggie before the deadline at 4 PM on Tuesday. Instead, they sought out a trade, connecting with the Baltimore Ravens for Michigan lineman Ben Bredeson.

Bredeson was drafted last year out of Michigan in the fourth round. He made five appearances, with three of them coming in the latter portion of the 2020 season. All of his snaps came as an in-line tight end, so he didn’t get any legitimate work as a traditional lineman. However, he is composed of solid tangible traits, with solid size and discipline. He stands at 6’5″ and 320-pounds.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com dropped this scouring overview back in 2020 before he was drafted by Baltimore in the 4th round:

Four-year starter who will get dinged for some athletic limitations, but possesses the body type, leadership and toughness necessary to play in the league. Bredeson is best-suited firing out in a power-based rushing attacking where his disadvantages in space can be mitigated. There are correctable elements in his game that should forge continued improvement, but there will be some bumpy roads against interior quickness. He should become an average starter.

While Bredeson has short arms and athletic limitations, he is a fundamentalist that will fit Jason Garrett’s mold. He can operate in the power gap scheme and offer depth behind Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez to start the season, a position the Giants desperately needed support in. However, he’s also capable of playing outside of tackle, giving Big Blue even more versatility.
Overall, this was a good move for a Giants team that saw their depth in the trenches struggle during the preseason and training camp. Considering Baltimore has such a strong offensive line, Ben is a good pick-up. The Giants gave up a 2022 4th round pick for Bredeson, a 2022 5th-rounder and 2023 7th rounder pick.