Did the Giants Waste \$69 Million on Their O-Line?
The Giants’ offensive line is always under the microscope—and with good reason. They’ve been trying to fix it for over a decade, and fans are getting tired of the same story: bad protection, no run game, and plenty of excuses.
But GM Joe Schoen isn’t just sitting on his hands. He’s thrown serious draft picks and money at the problem—guys like Evan Neal, Josh Ezeudu, and John Michael Schmitz were high picks. They’ve also paid to keep Andrew Thomas and signed vets like Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, and Greg Van Roten. All in all, the Giants now have the third-most expensive offensive line in the NFL, according to OverTheCap.
So yeah, they’re spending. The big question: Are they getting anything back for it?
Based on last year? Not really. The Giants ranked 26th in pass blocking and 27th in run blocking. Ouch.
Still, there were glimpses of hope early in the season—when the starters were healthy. With Thomas, Runyan Jr., Schmitz, Van Roten, and Eluemunor on the field, they actually hovered around **league average** in protection. In fact, by Week 9, they hit 13th in pass block win rate, and the run game improved after switching from Devin Singletary to rookie Tyrone Tracy.
But injuries wrecked the unit. By the end of the season, the starting O-line looked completely different—and not in a good way.
Now heading into 2025, things are looking a bit more stable. Four starters—Thomas, Runyan Jr., Schmitz, and Eluemunor—are expected to be back and playing their natural positions. The fifth spot is still up in the air, with Neal, Ezeudu, Kubas, and rookie Marcus Mbow all in the mix to replace Van Roten.
On paper, the line should be much better this year. But again, will it actually be worth \$69 million?
Thomas is probably the best value of the bunch at \$21 million—he’s elite when healthy. Runyan Jr. and Eluemunor are on reasonable deals too. The big issue, as always, is staying healthy.
Then there’s the younger guys. Schmitz and Neal are both hitting “prove it” territory. The team needs them to start playing like high picks.
So here we are: the Giants have spent a fortune trying to fix the line. It’s finally coming together—but can they stay healthy and live up to the price tag?
