Nate Solder

New York Giants could trade Nate Solder and pursue another left tackle as replacement

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New York Giants, Nate Solder

With rumors popping up that the Cleveland Browns are interested in trading for New York Giants left tackle, Nate Solder, it begs the question: Does it makes sense?

Solder carries a massive cap-hit into next season at $19.5 million, but Big Blue has an out in his contract after 2019 that would count $13 million dead cap. With a lack of trusted left tackles in the league, sending him on his way and taking that type of hit would be ludicrous, but trading him, however, is a great alternative.

With the Browns prickling their ears for offers, sending him for a mid-round pick would be a great idea, on one condition — the Giants have a capable replacement for him.

Currently, on the roster, there’s nothing that resembles a left tackle, not that Solder has looked any better than a turnstile this season. Getting anything from a monster deal like his would be positive, and getting his massive cap hit off the books would be a benefit. It would open up nearly $20 million in cap space and give general manager Dave Gettleman the green light to draft a top tackle in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Who could the New York Giants pursue at left tackle?

Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins seems to be the most glaring option, given his quality in the past and $14.75 million cap hit next season. He will also only cost $2 million in dead-cap if the Giants wanted to cut him for whatever reason.

Williams requested a trade from Washington months ago after concern surfaced over a medical clearance. He has since sat idly by while the team holds onto his contract and pays him to sit on the couch. It seems like a pretty sweet deal to me, but with the trade deadline closing in, the Skins could be using him as leverage to gain draft capital. If you’re the Giants, trading Solder and snagging Williams would be a fantastic turn of events.

In 2018, the last time Williams featured in the NFL, he earned a PFF grade of 74, compared to Solder’s 64 this season. It would be a massive upgrade for a lesser cost, but the capital that would be exchanged for the left tackle would likely make up the difference in play-quality, plus some.

This hypothetical looks fantastic on paper, but it would take a lot of luck for a double-deal like this to happen.

New York Giants news, 10/24 – Is Pat Shurmur running out of time? Nate Solder, Sterling Shepard

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New York Giants, Pat Shurmur, James Bettcher

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

With a low-pressure system moving through the New York Giants ranks, carrying bad energy, and narratives that would derail most locker-rooms, it’s safe to say, nobody is safe. Maybe, general manager Dave Gettleman is protected on his pedestal, for now, but head coach Pat Shurmur must be questioning his abilities to manage this team.

Shurmur was a significant factor in losing to the Arizona Cardinals at home last week in the pouring rain, and receiver Golden Tate said it perfectly, “we cannot be wasting the money of hard-working people.” He’s right, and Shurmur needs to start considering the fact that his awful time management decision and bone-headed play calls have serious implications on people’s emotions and willingness to drop thousands of dollars every season to watch a losing team.

Owner John Mara has to be sitting in his luxury box wondering the same thing. Is Shurmur really capable of handling this team? At times, it seems as if he can be a great coach, but at others his mental mishaps cost the team wins. Beating a team like Arizona at home is a must, and losing due to coaching mistakes is a huge red flag. While I don’t believe Shurmur is on the hot seat, if he continues to make similar mistakes, there’s no question the Giants will have to make a difficult decision.

Sterling Shepard update:

The Giants’ top pass-catcher it working through concussion protocol despite having been without symptoms for nearly two weeks. Shepard is 100 percent returning within the next two weeks, as NorthJersey.com reported (see below for link).

“Oh, I’ll be back out on the field,” Shepard told NorthJersey.com. “It’s just whether it’s gonna be this week or next week.”

“I’m just leaning [on the advice of what is said] medically, and I’m going to listen to my body,” Shepard said. “I know what my body is supposed to feel like, and when I feel like I’m ready to come back, then I’ll come back. But, I’ve been feeling that way for two weeks. It’s kinda them just protecting me from myself, I guess you can say, but I’m trying to get back as soon as possible, and just waiting to hear their thoughts.”

With Solder receiving interest from the Cleveland Browns, according to reports, the New York Giants have an opportunity to unload his $19.5 million cap-hit from next season. Trading him away leaves the Giants with no help at the left tackle position, but there haven’t been any all seasons after looking at his film.

Solder is currently ranked as the team’s worst tackles and offensive lineman, which is extremely concerning considering his lucrative contract signed in the offseason of 2018. Collecting a mid-round pick for him and getting his number off the books makes sense if the Giants can figure out a backup plan.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Art Stapleton – Exclusive: NY Giants Sterling Shepard confident he’ll return from concussion soon and play

Paul Schwartz – Intriguing trade possibilities as Giants reality clear

Mark Schofield – About those 8 sacks: Let’s study what happened on each sack of Daniel Jones on Sunday

Paul Schwartz – Proof that Giants’ Pat Shurmur is relying on analytics too much
Cay North – New York Giants Receiver Golden Tate Shows Frustration With Early Games

New York Giants: 3 players that could be traded before the deadline

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New York Giants, Janoris Jenkins

With the New England Patriots sending a second-round pick for Atlanta Falcons’ Mohamed Sanu, the 2019 in-season trade deadline is undoubtedly sneaking up on us. The New York Giants will most certainly be sellers in the period considering their 2-5 record and abysmal defense.

Here are three New York Giants player that could be on the marker:

1.) Janoris Jenkins

This is the easiest trade option to spot, especially after being torched by Mike Evans for 190 yards and three scores in week three. Jenkins has been extremely inconsistent this season and a liability at times, but he is still a valuable player that can be a lockdown corner in the NFL.

Jenkins has one-year remaining on his contract with the New York Giants — $14.75 million against the cap in 2020. He will account for a considerable cap-allocation, and that should be a reason general manager Dave Gettleman moves on from the veteran corner. Getting his number off the books will allow the Giants to bring in a younger/new option. Jenkins has survived through some of the worst times in Giants history, and he’s probably overwhelmed with negative energy. Letting him go would likely be the best thing for both parties, and if Big Blue can get draft capital in exchange for the defender, it could ultimately end up being a positive move.

A third-round pick would satisfy the requirement to pry the corner away from one of the league’s worst defenses.

3.) Evan Engram

The reality with tight end, Evan Engram, is simple. He’s a good player that’s always injured. Engram has looked fantastic this season before tossing out a dud against the Arizona Cardinals in rainy weather. He dropped two passes on five attempts, and only caught one pass for six yards in the loss.

Engram is a tremendous pass-catching option off the line of scrimmage when he’s active, but he has had issues with catch-rate in the past – a bit ironic, I know, but there’s value to be had.

A contending team looking to add a tight end that can revolutionize their offense could be a target for the Giants, and Engram would likely garner a second-round pick on the open market. He’s still young and on his rookie deal.

3.) Nate Solder

The Giants are on the hook for a boat-load of cash in regards to Solder. The veteran left tackle’s cap-hit jumps up to $19.5 million in 2020, but the Giants have an out in the contract that would cost the Giants $13 million in dead cap, which likely indicates he will remain on the team for the foreseeable future.

However, the alternative would be to trade Solder, who’s capable of being a good tackle but has been terrible this season. Getting exponential value for Solder would be the hard part, considering his lack of quality this year. Add in his financial commitment, and Big Blue might be willing to give him away.

Gettleman did process Solder’s contract in a team-friendly way, but the dead cap is still egregious. He counted for $34.9 million in dead cap last year and $25 million this year. The allocation will drop to $13 million in 2020, but that’s still a high number that would significantly hurt the team. Unless the Giants believe they can find a cheaper option to replicate his bad performances and allocate the $6.5 million elsewhere, keeping him seems like the logical move. Of course, drafting a left tackle is always an option.

The New York Giants Offensive Line Rebuild Is NOT Complete

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New York Giants, Nate Solder

The New York Giants are coming off of a crushing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in week seven. The Giants gave up 8 sacks to the Cardinals’ defense. The most notable sacks came on crucial third and fourth downs late in the game to officially hand the Giants their third loss in a row.

I admit it, I was wrong. I was really hopeful for the Giants’ offensive line heading into this season. In the offseason, I wrote an article stating that the rebuild was in fact complete. Kudos to all those who thought otherwise. Unfortunately, you were right. The Giants’ offensive line is not finished being rebuilt. In fact, it is far from it.

Left Tackle Liability

The Giants shocked the league in the 2018 offseason when they decided to make Nate Solder the highest-paid offensive lineman of all time. Solder was certainly an upgrade over Ereck Flowers, so many fans were fine with the signing. The Giants were simply filling a position of need with the best player available.

But many fans were quick to point out the potential risk of the Nate Solder signing. Solder was an average left tackle being paid like a world-class player. Sure, he was an improvement. But how big of an improvement was he really? Well, this season, Solder has not looked anything close to the player the Giants are paying for.

So far, through 7 weeks of the 2019 NFL season, Nate Solder has allowed 5 sacks and a whopping 26 pressures. That means that Nate Solder is letting his man get to the quarterback at an average around 4 times per game. To put this in perspective, Nate Solder allowed a total of 33 pressures through the entire 2018 season. Nate Solder is clearly regressing to a below-average left tackle and quickly becoming a liability on offense. Unfortunately, Solder and the Giants are tied to the hip with no real out in his contract until 2021 when the dead cap number drops to $6.5 million, which is still a hefty cap burden to bear.

In this video, you can see Nate Solder was beaten badly multiple times against the Arizona Cardinals.

Rocky Right Tackle Play

On the other side of the offensive line, it has not been much better. Newly-signed right tackle Mike Remmers has been a disappointment so far. Remmers has allowed 24 pressures and 2 sacks through 7 games.

To put this in perspective, Mike Remmers is averaging about 3.43 pressures per game. If he keeps at this rate, he would end the season with roughly 54 total pressures allowed. Last year, the Giants’ biggest offensive line liability, Chad Wheeler, allowed only 43 total pressures.

The Giants pass protection did not receive an upgrade at right tackle this offseason. Luckily, the Giants are not stuck with Remmers in the long-run like they are with Solder. The Giants signed Mike Remmers to a one-year deal this offseason and can easily move on from him either through the draft or free agency (where New York is set to have lots of money to spend). Fans should just hope that Dave Gettleman does not tie up too much money to an average offensive tackle again this offseason.

A Hole In The Center

The Giants were excited to get their center Jon Halapio back from injury this season. Jon suffered a broken leg in week two of the 2018 season. To that point, the Giants’ offensive line was atrocious, but Halapio was performing the best out of any of the players in the unit.

In week one of the 2018 season, Jon Halapio had Pro Football Focus’s third-best pass blocking grade (85.2) among centers with at least 50 offensive snaps. Dave Gettleman himself said that Halapio was playing the best out of anyone on the offensive line before he got injured.

This led the Giants to feel content with their talent at center and roll with Jon Halapio in 2019. Halapio has struggled so far this season. So far this season, Halapio has posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 51.6, ranking him 26th in the league at his position.

While Halapio is not the worst center option, and he is on a cap-friendly deal, there is certainly room for improvement. Halapio is an inconsistent center who has flashed great potential as a pass-blocker but seems to be making too many mental mistakes in 2019. Such as this play against the Minnesota Vikings:

The Part That The Giants Have Right

The Giants have their hands tied at left tackle and could use a major upgrades at right tackle and center. But there are two other positions on the offensive line that they seem to have right.

Much of the pressure that the Giants have let up this season has come off the edge, which is why we can place blame on Mike Remmers and Nate Solder. But the Giants’ guards, as expected, have been the strength of the offensive line so far.

Kevin Zeitler is still playing like a top-ten player at his position. He has allowed only one sack so far this season, committed only one penalty, and has done a nice job keeping pressure away from the quarterback. The Giants are paying big money for Kevin Zeitler, too, but at least they are getting high-level production from their right guard.

Will Hernandez is in his second season and has been quietly building off of his strong rookie campaign. He has had his fair share of mistakes (3 penalties), but the sophomore left guard has not allowed a single sack so far this season. Big Will also boasts one of PFF’s highest pass-blocking grades at his position with a grade of 79.5.

So, unfortunately, the Giants’ offensive line rebuild is not complete. It is, disappointingly, far from it. Sure, they have two strong pieces in place at both guard positions. But the Giants’ lack of talent at the tackle positions is proving to be killer this season. New York will need to address this in the offseason and continue working towards a long-term plan for their offensive line rebuild.

New York Giants: There’s a real problem on the offensive line

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New York Giants, Nate Solder

General manager Dave Gettleman of the New York Giants made it a priority to find the puzzle pieces on the offensive line when he was hired two years ago.

After years of lackluster play in the trenches, the Giants finally had what seemed to be a serviceable front five. However, against the Minnesota Vikings, the line was torn apart by a superior defensive front. The unit allowed four sacks on the night and gave up far too many quarterback hits on rookie passer, Daniel Jones.

Jones has had bouts of good offensive line play, but the reality is, much improvement is needed for them to enabled the rookie‘s peak potential.

The real problem on the line has been Nate Solder; the starting left tackle for the Giants who signed a four year, $62 million deal with Big Blue last season.

After the 2019 campaign the New York Giants have a decision to make:

They have a potential out in his contract, which would count $13 million in dead cap; otherwise, they will pay him an average of $20 million per season over the next two years. With his performance the past few weeks, having Solder as the starting left tackle might not be worth the monetary investment.

They can probably find someone equally as talented for half the price considering how poorly he’s played. There have been no injury designations to Solder which have limited him in the past, which is the most concerning part of his porous season.

Aside from solder’s deficiencies, the rest of the line has been solid, apart from Mike Remmers at right tackle periodically. Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler have both been quality guards so far this year and will remain Giants for the foreseeable future.

The tackles have been the most concerning part and will need to be reevaluated after the 2019 season. Putting Jones under immense pressure will only stunt his growth and force unnecessary turnovers, something we have seen plenty of with Eli Manning over the last half a decade. This is a serious issue and must be solved one way or another, whether it means Solder elevating his game or the Giants finding someone to replace him.

New York Giants news, 10/7 – Will Saquon Barkley return against New England?

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

The New York Giants losing to the Minnesota Vikings 28-10 taught us various things, one of which being star running back Saquon Barkley means more to the offense than we know.

The offensive line was overwhelmed all day by the Vikings pass rush, and without Barkley, they were given the green light to blitz with unique packages.

Having a stout running back helps keep opposing defenses honest and allocate more players to other areas of the field. Barkley’s influence is significant, and losing him is proving to be devastating.

The fact the Giants were able to win two games consecutively without Barkley is remarkable, which means gaining him back will be exponential to their future success.

The new timetable for a return is next Thursday against the New England Patriots in Foxborough. The Patriots offense will undoubtedly tear apart a lackluster Giants defense, but Barkley will keep them honest and hopefully keep the ball in Daniel Jones’ hands more-so than against the Vikings. The Patriots have one of the best defenses in the league this season, and they will be difficult to overcome, but having Saquon, the Giants’ best player available, will give them a gambler’s chance at success.

Also, the offensive line must step up to the plate and hold back a talented New England pass rush. Left tackle Nate Solder has been a liability all season and will need to elevate his quality of play if the Giants are to have any chance in winning in New England. Hopefully, all cylinders will be firing, and it will at least be a competitive game.

Backup running back Wayne Gallman left Sunday’s contest with a concussion and was ruled out of the game, further hurting the Giants’ effectiveness in the run game. This will convince Barkley to rush back from a high ankle sprain even more.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Dan Benton – Giants’ Pat Shurmur promises an ‘epic’ takedown of NFL officials

Art Stapleton – Vikings make Daniel Jones, Giants pay for parade of mistakes

Dan Benton – Giants fall to Vikings: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants have one massive positive to be excited about

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New York Giants, Kevin Zeitler

The New York Giants should be excited about this unit:

While the New York Giants realized their most glaring weakness against the Dallas Cowboys in week one, they did see the fruits of their efforts on the offensive line flourish. Right guard Kevin Zeitler, who was acquired in the Olivier Vernon trade with the Cleveland Browns, was stellar on the line and presented a calmness that has been absent from the position for years.

New right tackle Mike Remmers struggled but performed far better than Chad Wheeler in 2018. Altogether, the line, including Nate Solder, Will Hernandez and Jon Halapio played at an elevated level the Giants not only wanted but desperately needed.

Having a 70.9 pass-blocking grade through one week, veteran quarterback Eli Manning should have more time in the pocket to move through his progressions. Also, the line finished with an impressive 82.6 run grade, which led the league. Head coach Pat Shurmur needs to utilize Saquon Barkley more often who only had 11 carries against the Cowboys.

General manager Dave Gettleman has spent ample resources fixing the starting five up front after years of shoddy drafting by Jerry Reese. Ridding the team of Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart was the first task for Gettleman, who quickly replaced them with Solder and Wheeler/Remmers. I anticipate the Giants finding a young right tackle next offseason, likely in the draft.

With a young and talented offensive front, they will have the ability to replace aging players one at a time rather than have to overhaul the entire unit in just two offseasons. Nonetheless, the Giants are trending positively, and the defensive line is now the focal point.

The Kevin Zielter effect:

One of the more impactful linemen is Kevin Zeitler, who ranked as a top-five guard in the league last season. Aside from his distinct physical traits, he’s mentally healthy, especially after facing adversity in Cleveland in the form of losing. The Giants are progressing nicely, even if it takes them the 2019 season to develop their secondary and gain more cap-space to address positions of need.

The Giants, though, are becoming a run-first team on the back of players like Zeitler. Saquon Barkley, the primary catalyst behind the team’s offensive production, relies on the front five to be efficient. With an improved unit, Barkley should continue to excel in the run game — he averaged 10.9 yards per carry against the Cowboys.

An interesting tidbit, Barkley’s runs primarily came from running between the tackles, which not only shows their ability to create space for Barkley, but it also shows the running back’s improved vision and desire to run vertically rather than bounce it outside.

His progression and star-quality only continue to improve, and the offensive line plays a big part in Barkley’s growth.

The 3 keys to the New York Giants beating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

With Ezekiel Elliott securing a $90 million extension on Wednesday morning, the New York Giants will gear up to face one of the league’s premier running backs. He is a catalyst for the Dallas Cowboys offense and is one of the more difficult runners to bring down. Having a strong defensive front will be a priority for the Giants, and they will need to supplement the loss of Damon Harrison early last season when the two teams first collided.

Here are the three keys for the New York Giants to beat the Cowboys:

1.) Dexter Lawrence

With the Giants trading away “Snacks” last year, first-round draft pick Dexter Lawrence will be asked to fill a significant role in the defensive line this season.

He will be expected to draw double teams and put pressure on Dak Prescott during the Giants week one matchup against the Cowboys. He will be a catalyst in forcing bad decisions by Prescott and putting pressure on the pocket. Additionally, the Giants need him to be active in the run game and stop Ezekiel Elliott at the line of scrimmage. They will likely have issues dealing with him early on, but they will need to find a way to contain him and his brute style of running.

Aside from just Lawrence, the entire defensive line needs to perform well. Both Dalvin Tomlinson and BJ Hill will be expected to elevate their game, but having previously played against the Cowboys and Elliot before.

2.) Saquon Barkley

The Giants star running back, one of three players at the position to record over 2,000 all-purpose yards in their rookie season, will once again be the focal point of the offense.

Ensuring they feed him early and often, Saquon can take over any game, and he will need to do it again against Dallas. With their defense being a strong point, head coach Pat Shurmur must rely on his star player to crank out yards and get into the end zone.

Last season, Shurmur tended to feed Barkley a lot in the first half of games and then taper off in the second half to not overwork him. In his sophomore season, the Giants cannot be cautious with his workload, as he will be the reason they win most games.

Ensuring he gets a healthy balanced of touches in both the first and second half will allow the Giants to operate at a high-level and compete against better teams in the league. They enter Sunday’s matchup as 7.0 underdog’s, which means they will need to feed Barkley as much as possible, especially with Golden Tate serving a four-game suspension to start the season.

3.) The offensive line

General manager Dave Gettleman has made it a priority to bolster the offense of line the past two seasons. Signing Nate Solder, drafting Will Hernandez, and trading for Kevin Zeitler this off-season makes them a remarkably improved unit. Also, they brought in right tackle Mike Remmers, who is an upgrade over Chad wheeler. They will also return Jon Halapio, their starting center who broke his leg last year early on in the 2018 campaign. This grouping of players will allow Eli Manning to stand tall in the pocket and operate at a more efficient level.

Manning has lacked time to throw the ball in recent seasons, and some of that pressure will likely be alleviated this year.

Cowboys have a daunting defense of line, which will not only put pressure on Manning but Barkley as well. I anticipate Hernandez and Remmers being their focus, as those seem to be the two weak links at this point. Hernandez had an up-and-down preseason, which the Cowboys shortly noticed. They will need strong performance is across the board to dominate the trenches and allow the offense to be productive.

New York Giants could be without starting offensive lineman on Sunday

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New York Giants, Eli Manning

The New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman made it a priority to bolster the offensive line the past two years. This off-season, they traded for right guard Kevin Zeitler and signed right tackle Mike Remmers.

This time last year, Ereck Flowers was still starting on the Giants’ offensive front, not to mention the Patrick Omameh experiment. Finding their way to the current unit required trial and error, but ultimately it took time.

The Giants didn’t have the cap space to go out and sign multiple top free agents, so they were forced to utilize the NFL draft, and the time it took to rebuild the offense.

During the process, they managed to secure second-round pick Will Hernandez as their starting left guard. He is expected to be an influential player this upcoming season and dominate in the trenches. However, he did struggle at times and cost protection this preseason. While I likely could be him shaking the rust off, he was concerned with his performance and will look to bounce back during the regular season. An enticing matchup against the Dallas Cowboys is the perfect opportunity for him to prove his worth once again.

Should the New York Giants be concerned over this new injury?

While the offensive line looks like it’s coming together, the Giants could be without their starting right tackle on Sunday. Remmers missed practice during the week with an illness and back-related issues. The veteran endured surgery on his back this off-season before signing with the Giants. It could be a cautionary resting before the game, or it could be something to be concerned over.

Behind Remmers on the depth chart, the Giants host Eric Smith, Chad Slade, and Nick Gates. Slade looked solid during the preseason and could be the player of choice to fill in if needed.

Releasing Chad Wheeler could cause issues for head coach Pat Shurmur if Remmers isn’t able to play a majority of the season. While the injury does not indicate he will miss any time at all, it is better to be cautious with players coming off major surgery and time lost in the past. This is certainly something to keep your eye on moving forward.

 

New York Giants: 2019 Team Captains Announced

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The New York Giants wrapped up the preseason this week and are on to preparing for regular season week one. The Giants will head to Dallas on Sunday to take on the division-rival Cowboys. Part of the preparation for the regular season is selecting team captains.

The Giants typically have six total captains, two captains for each phase of the game: two on offense, two on defense, and two on special teams. This year, the Giants have seven team captains.

Offense:

Eli Manning:

Of course, Eli Manning is once again a team captain. This will be Eli Manning’s thirteenth consecutive season as a team captain. It is well deserved as Eli has been the face of the franchise for over a decade. Eli has always been a leader on and off the field and he fully deserves to be a team captain every year until he retires.

Nate Solder:

Nate Solder is entering his second season with the Giants and his eighth season in the NFL. The Giants’ starting left tackle was selected as a captain last year, too. Solder will continue to bring his veteran leadership to the Giants’ offense.

Saquon Barkley:

The best running back in the NFL heading into his second season, Saquon Barkley has earned himself a captain’s patch. Saquon Barkley is a leader on and off the field and a transcendent talent. It is rare to see a player earn the patch after only one season, but Saquon Barkley is fully deserving of this honor.

Defense:

Alec Ogletree:

The Giants’ starting middle linebacker was acquired via trade last offseason. Alec Ogletree stepped in as a captain from day one with the New York Giants and he has earned that patch again this season. Ogletree is another veteran that the Giants have made a captain. Alec will be entering his sixth season in the NFL.

Antoine Bethea:

Like Alec Ogletree last year, Antoine Bethea will be a defensive captain before he ever plays for the Giants. Antoine Bethea is entering his fourteenth season in the NFL and his first with the Giants. Bethea has taken on a mentorship role in the secondary, aiding in the training efforts for the youthful Giants defensive backs.

Special Teams:

Zak DeOssie:

Zak DeOssie has been the Giants’ long snapper for over a decade now. He is the second-longest tenured player on the Giants behind only Eli Manning. The two-time Super Bowl champion has been a stalwart player for the Giants special teams and has earned the right to don this patch until he is no longer a member of Big Blue.

Michael Thomas:

The Giants’ second special teams captain is safety/special teamer, Michael Thomas. Last year was Michael Thomas’s first year with the Giants and he was also named a captain then. Michael Thomas was even selected for the Pro Bowl last year, so he was an easy captain choice this season.