Trai Turner

New York Giants: 2 offensive guard free agents to consider

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trai turner, new york giants

One of the major concerns that remain for the New York Giants is their offensive line, a unit that ranked near dead last in pass-blocking efficiency last season, littered with rookies and inexperience.

There is a reason to believe they will take a step forward this upcoming year, as the players from last season, including Andrew Thomas, Matt Peart, Will Hernandez, and Nick Gates, will have a year of experience and chemistry building together in addition to knowledge of their current scheme. With similar terminology and new weapons to capitalize on, the OL should see improvements.

However, upper management cut their best blocker in Kevin Zeitler at right guard, failing to upgrade the position in the draft and not allocating any significant funds toward a free agent. Nonetheless, there are a few options on the market that could make sense, let’s take a look at two who could have an impact if given an opportunity.

Two free-agent offensive guards the New York Giants could consider:

Trai Turner:

One offensive guard that makes a ton of sense is Trai Turner, a player GM Dave Gettleman drafted back during his time with the Carolina Panthers in 2014. He was a previous third-round selection out of LSU, and while he struggled considerably with the LA Chargers last year, a change of scenery could do him well.

Turner has five Pro-Bowls to his name and has allowed 12 sacks over the last seven seasons, so there’s no question he is capable of being a quality player. The Chargers released Turner after starting him nine games at right guard, and he’s still waiting for another opportunity to capitalize on. The Giants could bring him in on a cheaper contract for one season, allowing him to compete and earn a bigger payday in 2022. This would be a win-win move for both parties, and if Turner has any juice left in the tank, the Giants would benefit as they head into the season with minimal depth and competition at guard.

James Carpenter:

Another suitable player could be James Carpenter, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons. At 32 years old, he is a bit on the older side, but as a former first-round pick in 2011, he had a solid campaign in 2020. Finishing with a 61.9 overall pass-blocking grade, the first half of his year was adequate.

Carpenter is coming off a four-year, $21 million deal with Atlanta but was cut prematurely with his contract set to expire in 2023. He would be an extremely cheap body to bring into camp and compete with Will Hernandez and Shane Lemieux. Currently, the Giants likely have Hernandez penciled in at RG and Lemieux at LG. Depending on what side of the OL they feel is weakest, they could bring in Carpenter, who has traditionally played LG or Turner at RG. At this point, adding any competition with some historical talent and success would be a positive move.

New York Giants: There is still time to upgrade the offensive line

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New York Giants, Cleveland Browns

The New York Giants just wrapped up a phenomenal 2021 NFL Draft. Dave Gettleman and the Giants traded down twice to get future picks and landed two first-round talents. Their draft class has been met with a ton of praise. However, one criticism of the Giants’ draft is that they failed to address the offensive line.

The Giants’ pass-block win rate in 2020, according to ESPN, ranked dead-last in the NFL at 46%. Their run-block win-rate ranked 18th at 70%, which is about average or slightly below. So while the Giants did upgrade Daniel Jones’s weapons in free agency, fans feel like they still desperately need to fix the offensive line in front of him.

Many New York Giants fans felt like the NFL Draft was the last opportunity to add upgrades to the offensive line. However, that is not the case. There is still time for the Giants to upgrade the offensive line.

How the Giants can still upgrade their offensive line

The Giants still have time to add reinforcements to their offensive line. New York’s front office and coaching staff has admitted they are far more confident in their offensive line than the general public, however, they did target offensive linemen in the NFL Draft. They were not able to draft the linemen they targeted, but they did sign two undrafted free agent offensive linemen (Brett Heggie, UF, and Jake Burton, Baylor).

There are also free agents currently on the market for the New York Giants to consider. One free agent offensive guard that makes sense for the Giants is Trai Turner. The former Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers offensive linemen has ties to Dave Gettleman. Turner was once regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, making consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2015 to 2019. He struggled mightily in 2020, but he is only two years removed from a Pro Bowl season. The Giants could take a chance on Turner and hope to see him get his career back on track in 2021. Other intriguing free agent offensive linemen available are Lane Taylor, James Carpenter, Bobby Massie, Rick Wagner, and many others.

In addition to the offensive linemen already available on the market, there is certainly a new crop of hog mollies that will hit the market in the summer. As training camp inches closer, so does the wave of new cuts. Throughout training camp and preseason, teams will make cuts and a plethora of roster changes as they trim the fat and get down to the designated 55-man roster. The Giants will need to keep a close eye on the waiver wire this summer if they still want to find upgrades on the offensive line.

New York Giants might find Zeitler replacement on open market

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New York Giants, Kevin Zeitler

The New York Giants aren’t in a good position when it comes to Kevin Zeitler and his contract, but they may be helped by the free agent market this offseason. That’s because they aren’t the only team that’s figuring out what to do with a veteran lineman, and the availability of other players at the position might drive down the costs to bring in a veteran replacement if they do lose Zeitler this offseason.

Zeitler, who came in with the Odell Beckham trade and who has started almost every game for the Giants since then, was their top performing lineman last season but still isn’t quite good enough to justify his current contract – especially with the Giants being over the cap and needing to make changes before the season.

But it has also been reported that the Jaguars are in a similar situation with guard Andrew Norwell. And they aren’t the only team. The veteran guard market is getting more crowded as the offseason continues, as rumors have begun that the Chargers are trying to shop guard Trai Turner. With a market that might include players like Zeitler and Norwell, the Chargers may have trouble finding a partner and have to release Turner for nothing – just like the Giants might have to do with Zeitler.

As for an option that’s already on the market, the Raiders recently released Richie Incognito due to their salary cap but the experienced guard is still looking to play. It remains to be seen if these options are as good as Zeitler, for the Giants.

But thanks to the conditions of the free agent market right now, the Giants should be able to find someone to fill the spot without risking a bidding war that will drive the price high.