Nate Solder

New York Giants: Ranking each offensive lineman through eight weeks

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New York Giants, Kevin Zeitler

After eight weeks of regular season play, the New York Giants have seen plenty of ups and downs in regards to the offensive line. Left tackle Nate Solder has been inconsistent and a liability at times to rookie quarterback Daniel Jones’ blindside. Finding a way to supplement Solder’s deficiencies this season has been a challenge, and it has led to 15 total turnovers for Jones, who leads the league in the category.

However, while Solder has been lackluster, others have shown resiliency and promise.

Ranking the New York Giants offensive linemen:

1.) Kevin Zeitler

Zeitler, who was acquired in the Olivier Vernon trade with the Cleveland Browns, has earned a grade of over 70.0 through eight weeks, as per PFF. The tackles have been struggling for Big Blue, but their guards have been fantastic. Zeitler has been nursing a shoulder injury since the beginning of the season, but he has fought through it to become the Giants’ best offensive lineman.

The Giants own the rights to Zeitler for the next two seasons, and his cap hit is very team-friendly. His cap hit will be $12.5 million next season and $14.5 million in 2021. Compare that deal to Andrew Norwell, who’s averaging $15 million per season, and you can see what great value Zeitler provides.

2.) Will Hernandez

The second-year guard out of UTEP has been stellar for the Giants. Not hearing an offensive lineman’s name is usually a great thing, and Hernandez has been a ghost so far this season. He’s been on a rock next to the unreliable Solder and has saved Jones’ butt on numerous occasions.

Hernandez is only in the second year of his rookie deal, which provides value in of itself. He’s the future at left guard for the Giants and will likely be paid accordingly in the future, but the Giants must take advantage of his low cap-hit now.

3.) Nate Solder

Solder has been anything but good this season, allowing seven sacks through the first eight weeks. Jones has been blindsided frequently at the expense of Solder, and he realizes how poor his play has been. Solder and Remmers have combined to allow 58 quarterback pressures this season, which is a severe issue for Big Blue and has many scratching their heads.

The Giants will likely stick with Solder moving forward due to the lack of quality left tackles in the NFL, but they will need more from him to be a competitive team.

4.) Mike Remmers

The plug-in right tackle has hurt the Giants at times and saved them at others. I don’t expect Remmers to remain with the team beyond the 2019 season. Allocating draft capital or cap space to sign a quality right tackle is the plan for Gettleman, who desperately needs to upgrade the position. Remmers has a PFF grade of 61.6.

5.) Jon Halapio

Halapio has been plain bad this season, and general manager Dave Gettleman will undoubtedly look to upgrade the center position next offseason. He sits in last place with a PFF grade of 52.1, ranking in the bottom tier of starters in the NFL. Halapio might be an even more significant liability than Solder and Remmers at the tackle position. The Giants currently rank as the 17th best unit in the NFL.

New York Giants news, 10/31 – Alec Ogletree a goner? Dave Gettleman’s methods

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New York Giants, Alec Ogletree

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

With the trade deadline coming and going, most believed the New York Giants would be sellers, but they stayed pat and kept all of their veteran players.

Janoris Jenkins, Nate Solder, and Alec Ogletree all remained with the team, but that doesn’t mean general manager Dave Gettleman doesn’t have plans for them. All three serve a purpose this season, and the New York Giants must climb out of a 2-6 funk to prove they can be a competitive team moving forward. That’s why Gettleman ended up being a buyer, trading for Leonard Williams of the Jets.

The defensive lineman will add a commanding presence alongside Dexter Lawrence, but he’s in the final year of his rookie contract, which means he will get paid this offseason. Gettleman sacrificed a fifth-round pick to do be the first one to offer him a new deal.

However, Gettleman’s methods stretch further than just trading and signing new players. When it comes to players already on the roster, maximizing their value becomes the priority, especially when they’re overpaid and underproducing.

Ogletree is a prime example of that ideology. He hasn’t been the most effective linebacker since his inception with Big Blue last season, and that will likely spell the end of his tenure in New York. This season, he counted $11.25 million against the cap in dead money, and next year he will be just $3.5 million. Cutting him shouldn’t be the priority, though. Finding a suitable trade partner will be the focus for Gettleman, as unloading his $3.5 million in dead-cap is essential.

Tying up money in non-existent players spells “doom” for most franchises. Gettleman took the $16 million hit on Odell Beckham Jr. this season, which resulted in a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and safety Jabrill Peppers. A solid return, but it restricted the New York Giants from signing other players this season. Signing big-money free agents this past offseason would have been redundant, considering rookie quarterback Daniel Jones was the priority — giving him ample experience and developmental time.

Next offseason will be the “all-in” period for Gettleman, who will need to fill positions such as inside linebacker, outside linebacker, offensive tackle, and free safety.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Paul Schwartz – Leonard Williams is getting used to his new Giants reality

John Fennelly – Evaluating Giants rookies at the midway point
Matt Lombardo – Giants blueprint: How Dave Gettleman can complete rebuild this offseason after disastrous 2-6 record at midseason

Alexander Wilson – The New York Giants could build a monster defensive line with new addition

Cay North – Trade Deadline Leaves New York Giants With Awkward Second Half Of 2019

New York Giants: Daniel Jones’s Up And Down Play Connected To Pressure Rate

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants stunned the world in April when they drafted Duke quarterback prospect Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since then, Jones has become the Giants starting quarterback, led them to two wins, and has strung together numerous impressive performances.

But through Daniel’s first six career starts, there has been a lot to like from the rookie’s play. He has shown aggression throwing downfield, mobility inside and outside of the pocket, and excellent accuracy. But Daniel has also shown inconsistent pocket presence, questionable decision making, and a bit of a fumbling problem.

Jones has had his ups and his downs. The potential for greatness is certainly there and has flashed throughout the season. But Daniel Jones’s flaws and rookie mistakes are creating a bit of a roller coaster experience. Interestingly, statistics show that these ups and downs might be directly correlated to the amount of the pressure that the Giants’ offensive line is letting up.

A High-Pressure Rate Leading To Turnovers

The New York Giants’ offensive line had high hopes heading into the 2019 season. So far, however, the unit has fallen flat. The main liabilities on the line are the two tackles. Veterans Nate Solder and Mike Remmers are not playing up to par thus far.

According to Pro Football Focus, Nate Solder has allowed 7 sacks and 33 pressures through eight weeks. This has led to a few drives being killed and a few too many blindside hits on Daniel Jones resulting in sack-fumbles. Mike Remmers has not been much better, allowing over 20 pressures from the right side.

Since Daniel Jones became the starter, he has faced the 2nd-highest percentage of dropbacks under pressure in the entire NFL. This is an insurmountable obstacle for most rookie quarterbacks and it has definitely had an effect on Daniel Jones’s performance.

Since becoming the Giants’ starting quarterback, Daniel Jones is tied for the most turnover-worthy plays in the NFL (according to PFF). This obviously includes Daniel’s 7 interceptions and 7 fumbles in the past 6 games, along with any other poor throws leading to dropped interceptions or fumbles that were recovered by the Giants.

As previously stated though, it has not been all bad for Daniel. In fact, it has been mostly good. Daniel Jones has made a number of impressive plays, separating himself from almost all other rookie and sophomore quarterbacks. Plus, it is hard to determine how many of these plays are really Daniel’s fault and how many of them can have the blame placed on the offensive line.

Throwing Dimes, Despite The Pressure

The pressure is definitely leading Daniel to make some rookie mistakes. But for the most part, Jones has risen above the offensive line’s mistakes. PFF also points out that Daniel Jones is 6th in the NFL in “Big-Time Throws” since becoming the starter. Here is a link for more clarification on what exactly a “Big-Time Throw” is. To sum, they are the most impressive/difficult throws to be made. Daniel is making them at a high rate, too.

The Danny Dimes are the good that’s weighing out the bad. Maybe Daniel Jones is not leading New York to wins lately, but that is not entirely his fault. The Giants’ defense is one of the league’s worst, and as previously mentioned, Jones is lining up behind a below-average offensive line.

Daniel Jones’s excellent week 8 performance is a perfect example of his up-and-down playing style. Daniel completed 28 of his 41 attempts for 322 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions against the Lions. But he did have an ugly fumble in the first quarter, along with two other turnover-worthy plays (like an interception ruled incomplete/out of bounds in the first quarter).

Jones threw some excellent passes in Detroit. His game wasn’t too sloppy. The high-end plays are enough to give Giants fans hope as they see his true potential as an NFL quarterback. Jones can be one of the league’s best if he cuts down his turnover-rate. But in order for that to happen, the Giants’ offensive line will need to make some serious improvements to keep their young quarterback from being flustered and making mistakes.

Trade Deadline Leaves New York Giants With Awkward Second Half Of 2019

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New York Giants, Janoris Jenkins

The NFL trade deadline came and went yesterday, and the New York Giants didn’t make any moves, choosing to leave their recent transactions at just the earlier crosstown trade for Leonard Williams. The team couldn’t find deals for Janoris Jenkins, Nate Solder, or Alec Ogletree despite all three players having been, according to Ian Rapoport, potentially on the trading block.

That leaves the Giants in an awkward situation going into the second half of the season.

The fact of the matter is, it’s hard to sweep the trade rumors under the rug now that the deadline is past and act like they never happened in the first place. Jenkins has long been rumored to be on the trading block for the Giants and those rumors hit their peak intensity this week, with the deadline approaching.

The expectation was that Jenkins would end up traded. There were plenty of articles about potential destinations, rumors that the Giants could pull the trigger on a move, and that the Giants were actively shopping the player. To a lesser extent, one could also say that the same is true for a player like Alec Ogletree or Nate Solder, both of whom were named as being shopped by the team.

Now, the deadline is passed and no deals were made for any of the trio. But just like Eli Manning’s days as the starting quarterback were numbered once the team took Daniel Jones, despite their public commitments to Manning, their days with the Giants might still be numbered after the Giants made the decision to take these players out of their long term plans.

Sure, Jenkins and the others still have at least half a season left with the team, maybe more, but it’s hard to see them staying for too long around a team that attempted to shop them for a move – Jenkins has been in this position for a while now and it doesn’t seem that he remains in the team’s plans for the future, and it’s clear that the Nate Solder experiment hasn’t worked out if the Giants were open to moving their big name addition this early on in his career with the team.

The question for the rest of the season is whether or not the Giants will get the best performances out of this group of players after they’ve already shown that they aren’t committed to keeping them. It’s like a couple staying together when everyone assumed they would break up. Will they be able to put the past in the past and move forward from here? The answer isn’t clear.

Jenkins, Ogletree, and Solder are all players that could be considered part of the Giants’ core at the beginning of the season, but it looks like more rebuilding is in store after this season based on the way things went during the first half of this one.

The team will have to assemble the core that they’ve been looking for during the past couple of seasons in the near future, through a combination of drafting and trading, as it’s clear that as of now, they haven’t gotten far enough in their rebuild to say that they have a firm one.

Until then, however, they’re stuck in a strange spot – left to limp through the rest of the season with a two win record and a few veteran starters that they’ve all but made clear that they wouldn’t mind walking away from in a trade. Not the best situation. For either the Giants or the players involved.

New York Giants Inactive At Trade Deadline

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New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

There was much anticipation in the NFL this week surrounding today’s official trade deadline for the 2019 season. After 4:00 p.m. today, teams are no longer allowed to make trades until the season is over.

The New York Giants did strike a deal yesterday to acquire now-former Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams. This trade was a surprise, but it was not surprising to hear shortly after that the Giants were looking to trade away a few players, too. 

The Giants were considering trading away three veteran players: Janoris Jenkins, Nate Solder, and Alec Ogletree. However, these trades never came to fruition, as the NFL as a whole was pretty inactive leading up to today’s deadline.

Why The Giants Kept Solder, Jenkins, And Ogletree

The New York Giants were expected to make some sort of trade today in order to recuperate draft capital that they lost after trading for Leonard Williams. The Giants gave up a 2020 3rd-round pick and a 2021 5th-round pick. Fans thought New York would be able to get these picks back by trading away these players. But maybe fans overestimated the worth of Solder, Ogletree, and Jenkins.

Nate Solder

Nate Solder was an interesting name to see pop up in trade rumors. The veteran tackle was signed by New York the last offseason to a record-breaking contract in order to bandage their left tackle position. Seeing the Giants noncommittal on Solder’s future with the team was surprising, but understandable.

Solder has allowed seven sacks and 33 pressures through eight weeks, according to Pro Football Focus. The 31-year-old has struggled so far this season but did have a trade market this week. Sources say the Cleveland Browns were interested. But New York’s desire to part with Solder was not high enough to match the thought market of interest. If the Giants did trade Nate Solder, it would not have been for enough to risk stunting Daniel Jones’s progression behind a backup tackle.

Alec Ogletree

Realistically, it would have been difficult for the Giants to find a trade partner for Alec Ogletree. Alec has struggled with injuries and lackluster performances over the past two seasons. He is a borderline starter at this point, so it would be difficult to understand why any team would trade for him.

Especially when considering what Ogletree is being paid this season. Art Stapleton of USA Today pointed out that Ogletree’s contract kept teams unattracted. Ogletree is due for over $10 million in salary cap each of the next two seasons. That is a tough commitment for any team to make to a struggling player.

Janoris Jenkins

Janoris Jenkins was definitely the Giants’ most tradeable asset of the three. But still, Jenkins remains a member of the Giants. There was not a market for Jenkins today and not exactly a big market for cornerbacks in general. More talented cornerbacks had their names brought up in trade discussions (Darius Slay, Chris Harris Jr.) but only one cornerback, Aqib Talib, was dealt.

The Giants were not able to find a trade partner for Jenkins, though it is unclear to what extent the Giants went to trade him. But now that we know Janoris is here till the end of the year, the Giants have an interesting decision to make in the 2020 offseason. Should they keep Jenkins around or cut him to free up cap space? Arguments can be made for either option, but Jenkins’s performance in these final eight games will greatly influence the Giants’ final decision.

Giants fans overestimated the worth of these players to other teams. But they also underestimated the worth of these players to the Giants. Janoris Jenkins is a potential long-term veteran player that New York could hang onto. Alec Ogletree is a defensive captain and locker room leader. Nate Solder is also a captain and a better tackle than anyone else they have.

The New York Giants are a rebuilding team. But in order to rebuild an NFL roster, there does need to be a few veteran leaders on the roster. The Giants have their leaders and will not be letting go of them this season.

New York Giants: Several veterans expected to depart before trade deadline

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New York Giants, Nate Solder

The New York Giants trading for former 6th overall pick Leonard Williams from the New York Jets marks the beginning of an expected flurry of deals this trade deadline period.

Williams brings a strong presence to the middle of the defensive front. Pairing him up with Dexter Lawrence on the interior will create a very exciting dual-threat of power and strength — a duo opposing offenses will have a fit with. The Giants gave up a third and fifth-round pick in the deal, but it’s a bit more intricate than that.

If Big Blue re-signs Williams to an extension before the new league year, the fifth-round pick turns into a fourth-rounder, however, if the Giants elect to let him walk in free agency, they would recoup the third-round pick in the form of a compensatory selection. Theoretically, the Giants would only forfeit a fifth-round pick at the end of the day for a half-season rental. General manager Dave Gettleman sees the massive interior defender as a long-term option, though, and his struggles with the Jets are now behind him.

A fresh start in a new building could earn him a nice payday, but his half-season audition will need to be fruitful for the Giants defense.

Who else could the New York Giants be looking to trade for?

I anticipated Big Blue as being sellers before the deadline, but instead, they elected to go out and grab a defensive lineman. Reports have stated that the Giants are still keen on moving cornerback Janoris Jenkins for draft capital, and linebacker Alec Ogletree could also be on the block. Left tackle Nate Solder has also been rumored to be an option for trade, but internal members of the Giants don’t believe he’s played as poorly as the media indicates.

Solder’s seven sacks allowed leads the team, and his inadequacies have put rookie quarterback Daniel Jones in peril at times. Realistically, Solder will likely stick around on the Giants considering his contract and the lack of value he has on the open market. Jenkins holds more value, and after a solid game last week against the Detroit Lions, it’s possible they could fetch a third-round pick for his services.

Jenkins is going into the final season of his contract and will likely be a cut casualty next offseason regardless, and with the Giants sitting at 2-6, gaining any capital for his services would be a plus. The same goes for Ogletree, who has been disappointing thus far in his tenure with Big Blue.

New York Giants news, 10/29 – Is Pat Shurmur offically on the hot seat? Daniel Jones bounces back

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New York Giants, Pat Shurmur

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

With the New York Giants trailing 19-31 on Sunday afternoon in the fourth quarter, Pat Shurmur trotted his offense out onto the field on a 4th-and-11. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones’ pass fell incomplete to Darius Slayton, who had already scored on two long passes earlier in the contest.

The turnover on downs was significant, and it sent us back to a two-point conversion that Shurmur, and the offense failed to convert. If successful, it would have brought Big Blue within a field goal from tying the game, but taking such an unnecessary risk in the third quarter with plenty of time left to play was ludicrous.

Fast forward back to the turnover on downs, and you would’ve noticed that if Shurmur took the extra point earlier in the game, a field goal would’ve brought the New York Giants within one possession of tying the score.  Another interesting call from Shurmur, a head coach who’s undoubtedly on the hot seat after four consecutive disappointing losses.

It’s important to mention the defense’s inability to get off the field and perform at an adequate level, but not scoring over 30 points against one of the worst units in the league without two premium starters is abysmal. Plenty of the blame can go on te secondary, who allowed Matthew Stafford and the Lions to convert a flea-flicker for a long touchdown to Marvin Hall just before half time.

Overall, it was another bad day for Shurmur and his decision making, and he was frustrated, considering a comment he made after the game.

Shurmur on the Jones fumble: “It wasn’t his fault he got f****** hit.” He quickly apologized for the “unprofessional” moment.

How did Daniel Jones look in the loss?

After several shaky weeks for the rookie, Jones looked fantastic in the loss to the Lions. He finished with 322 yards and four scores through the air. He was confident with his throws and was willing to stand in the pocket while Nate Solder handed out get two for one sacks all day coupons at left tackle.

We should expect to see Jones continue to develop and make impressive throws for the New York Giants. With a stabilized team and defense, Jones can be one of the better passers in the NFL, but it will take time.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

Chris Pflum – Five things we learned from the Giants’ trip to Detroit

Paul Schwartz – Giants react to aftermath of players-only meeting

Chris Pflum – Giants at Lions – Do the stats reveal any bright spots?

John Fennelly – Giants acquire Leonard Williams from Jets: 5 things to know

Anthony Rivardo – What Leonard Williams Brings To The New York Giants’ Defense

 

New York Giants Could Move Three Major Players And Continue Rebuild

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New York Giants, Nate Solder

The New York Giants recently made their first ever trade with the New York Jets, to add Leonard Williams to the defense in a risky move that could either give them an immediate boost or look like a robbery for the Jets when everything is said and done, but that’s not the only trade they could make this season before the impending trade deadline.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Giants are also open to shopping three other players, all of which would be considered major ones – those players, predictably, are Janoris Jenkins, Alec Ogletree, and Nate Solder.

Jenkins has been rumored to be on the trading block for a long time, since before this season in fact, but Ogletree has only really entered the trade conversation recently due to the team’s failures this season and more discussions about the Giants making further moves to continue their rebuilding process.

Solder, on the other hand, has only joined the Giants this season after signing a large contract following a number of years with the Patriots – but it seems the Patriots front office once again may have made a smart move, as Solder’s play hasn’t justified his cost this season. Solder, in fact, has the third highest cap hit on the team behind Janoris Jenkins and Eli Manning.

It’s telling that the top three players in cap hit this year for the Giants either aren’t playing or are rumored to be on the trading block – the team hasn’t rebuilt enough to find its core, and it’s looking more and more every week like the current core of the team might not last into the start of next season.

The trade deadline on the 29th is the last day that the Giants have to make changes via trade before next offseason. Will we see a deal to move Solder, who was one of the biggest additions in this offseason? We’ll see, but it’s looking like it’s not completely off the table, perhaps surprisingly.

New York Giants: Who’s at fault for week 8 loss? Pat Shurmur, James Bettcher, Nate Solder

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley, Darius Slayton

The New York Giants fell for a fourth-straight week to the Detroit Lions 31-26, and while rookie quarterback Daniel Jones had a stellar game, throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns, his team couldn’t find a way to win.

Head coach Pat Shurmur was once again at the forefront of the loss, failing to put up over 30 points against one of the league’s worst defenses without two of their best players. One bone-headed decision by Shurmur was to go for a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, which would have pulled the Giants within a field goal.

However, with plenty of time on the clock, risking a two-pointer in the grand scheme of the game made very little sense. With the fourth-quarter winding to a close, the Giants would have been one-possession from tying the game if Shurmur would have taken the extra point instead. The score was 19-31, and Big Blue was driving down the field when a 4th and 11 sat between the Giants and a one-possession game.

With 3:31 on the clock, the Giants went for it on fourth down, and Darius Slayton wasn’t able to haul in the catch. If Shurmur would have taken the extra point earlier on, they could have settled for a field goal and walked away with two-time outs and a chance at making a comeback. Another boneheaded decision by the head coach who is digging himself a hole that he might not be able to get out of.

The entire blame can’t be put on New York Giants head coach, Pat Shurmur:

The Giants’ defense did allow 31 points to a Detroit team without their top running back. Allowing 14 unanswered points to start the game is becoming a common thing for James Bettcher and his gang of misfit toys. Bettcher has been working with inept quality on defense and young players without much experience. The Giants will need to overhaul the unit next offseason, and a majority of their estimated $80 million in cap space will be allocated towards bolstering the defense.

One big question mark is left tackle, Nate Solder, who’s earning more than the president of the United States, currently. He’s become a severe liability to Daniel Jones’ health and protection on his blindside. Finding a trade partner for Solder might not be a terrible idea after eight weeks of poor play.

 

New York Giants news, 10/27 – Antoine Bethea to the bench? offensive line, more

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New York Giants, Antoine Bethea

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

The New York Giants signed veteran safety Antoine Bethea to hold down the deep portion of the secondary, and he’s done all but that in his first season with Big Blue. Logging 55 combined tackles through five weeks, Bethea has just one pass defended, an astounding number for a player whose primary job is to defend the deep-ball.

Bethea has been playing more of a strong safety role after further investigation, running up to stop the run, and clean up missed tackles. Jabrill Peppers leads the team with 11. However, the Giants have been torched deep down the field on numerous occasions; just ask Janoris Jenkins, who allowed Mike Evans to trample the secondary for 190 yards and three scores in week three.

The New York Giants could look to move on from Bethea and star Michael Thomas instead. Thomas is a physical player that has an unstoppable motor. He’s a special team maestro which has forced the Giants to utilize him less on defense. He blocked a punt against the Arizona Cardinals last weekend, swinging the momentum in favor of the Giants for a portion of the game.

I would love to see more of Thomas in the secondary moving forward, as Bethea has been a none factor. Making a change is necessary, especially since the defense has given up 90 points in the past three weeks.

What unit needs to step up against the Detroit Lions:

The offensive line needs to come together and produce a solid game against a weak Detroit Lions team. With one of the worst defenses in the NFL, the Giants offensive should theoretically be unstoppable, but we said the same thing against the Cardinals.

Left tackle Nate Solder must elevate his game, and Mike Remmers has to lock down Jones’ vision side. Giving him ample time in the pocket will see Jones’ production sky-rocket, considering his tendency to hold onto the ball for too long. This will be a statement game for the New York Giants offensive front, who’s in dire need of a firm/confidence-inducing performance.

Nonetheless–

Your top news of the day:

John Fennelly – Giants’ B.J. Hill experiencing a sophomore slump in 2019

Paul Schwartz – Giants’ painful rookie woes go well beyond Daniel Jones

Charles Vitolo – New York Giants: Is the Antoine Bethea experiment finally over?
Mark Schofield – Fixing an ailing Daniel Jones: A prescription for helping the Giants’ rookie quarterback
Alexander Wilson – New York Giants: What must happen for Janoris Jenkins to be traded