If this offseason of quarterback turmoil will teach the Giants anything, it should be this: They need to do a better job of protecting Daniel Jones.
There is at least one common thread between the Texans’ situation with Deshaun Watson and the Seahawks’ situation with Russell Wilson — poor protection. The Giants invested three draft picks in offensive linemen last year to help quarterback Daniel Jones, though only one looks like a surefire long-term starter right now. That is fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas, who started at left tackle last year, though even he struggled for much of his rookie season.
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Another tackle is available via trade, and the Giants should seriously consider pursuing him. Ravens tackle Orlando Brown wants to be traded from Baltimore, with a desire to become a starting left tackle. The 24-year-old has only played right tackle for the Ravens.
That might appear to disqualify the Giants right off the top, especially after picking Thomas fourth and playing him on the left side all season, but not necessarily. At the time Thomas was drafted, the Giants thought Nate Solder would be playing in 2020.
Much of the talk after the draft was about Thomas potentially spending his rookie season playing right tackle. He played some right tackle in college at Georgia, which general manager Dave Gettleman admitted after the draft was a part of why they wanted to pick Thomas.
“That’s a piece of it, absolutely,” Gettleman said. “You know, he started on the right side as a puppy.”
The Giants believe is Jones capable of being a top-notch quarterback. He hasn’t shown it yet, and it doesn’t help that his supporting cast hasn’t been good enough. He needs better weapons, sure, but Jones definitely needs better protection. The Giants were the worst pass-blocking team in the NFL in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus.
Joe Judge and the Giants coaching staff is comfortable with Nick Gates at center after his first season playing the position. Kevin Zeitler is a solid veteran at right guard, assuming they don’t cut or trade him. The Giants have question marks at left guard (Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez are the options) and right tackle, where Matt Peart is the only real option currently on the roster. Peart was a third-round pick out of Connecticut last year.
It’s unquestionable that the offensive line would be better if the Giants were able to somehow reel in Brown, even if that meant moving Thomas to the right side.
Brown is only 24 years old but has already made two Pro Bowls, each of the last two seasons. In 2020, he was one of only 12 offensive tackles to play at least 500 snaps and only allow the QB to get hit once, per PFF, and he only allowed 28 pressures overall.
In 2019, he had the ninth-best pass-blocking grade among all tackles and only allowed 20 pressures all season, spending much of it filling in at left tackle for the injured Ronnie Stanley.
The main deterrents to any deal: Pro Bowl-caliber offensive linemen historically are costly in trades, and Brown’s contract expires after 2021, which means he needs a new deal.
The Texans put themselves in a similar bind in 2019 when they traded the Dolphins two first-round picks and second-round pick for Laremy Tunsil, who then signed a record-setting new contract.
Brown would likely not cost as much, though, since Brown is demanding he play left tackle, teams know the Ravens are going to trade him and he’s due for a new contract.
Last year, Washington traded Trent Williams to the 49ers for a third- and fifth-round pick. Any Brown offer would likely come somewhere between the Tunsil and Williams offers.
As for the money: Brown would only cost $3.3 million in 2021, and the Giants are flush with cap space in 2022 and 2023. After they inevitably cut Golden Tate and Nate Solder this offseason, the Giants only have six players making more than $5 million under contract for 2022. In 2023, they have only 12 players currently under contract total — 14 if fifth-year options for Jones and Dexter Lawrence are counted — and most of them are rookie deals.
What would a trade look like?
Here’s an idea for an offer:
Ravens get: TE Evan Engram, Giants’ 2021 second-round pick, Giants’ 2022 third-round pick
Giants get: OT Orlando Brown, 2022 sixth-round pick
The Ravens will likely be looking to add more weapons to surround Lamar Jackson with this offseason, and Engram can be added at a very reasonable $6 million salary. Since Baltimore already has Mark Andrews at tight end, offensive coordinator Greg Roman could get creative in the ways he uses Engram.
It’s pretty clear that Engram needs a change of scenery, and it’s possible the Giants might try to draft Florida tight end Kyle Pitts this year. Or, after clearing out Engram, they could pursue someone like Jonnu Smith (or Zach Ertz, if he’s cut) in free agency.
Including Engram might allow the Giants to conduct this trade without giving up a first-round pick. Adding a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle for a second-round pick this year and another pick next year (third or fourth-round make sense) is worth it. Of course, as with Gettleman’s trade for Leonard Williams in 2019, this will back the Giants into a corner in contract negotiations with Brown.
But he’s a young, Pro Bowl tackle and this trade would allow the Giants to focus on filling other needs (wide receiver, edge rusher) in free agency and in the first round of the draft.
It wouldn’t be hard to recoup some of those draft picks, either, if Gettleman was willing to trade down from the 11th pick, though he has never traded down in the first round in his career as a general manager.
But if the Giants are serious about fixing Jones’ surroundings, this is one way to get a head start on doing that.
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Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zrosenblatt@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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