The New York Giants hired Carmen Bricillo at the end of a disastrous 2023 season, and under his guidance, the offensive line stabilized, producing its two best seasons of the past decade. Bricillo’s arrival coincided with the signings of Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan Jr., which certainly contributed to the line’s success due to their veteran competency.
Bricillo will not be retained on John Harbaugh’s coaching staff, despite the Giants advocating for the offensive line coach. However, no coach has been hired yet. The replenishment of depth and quality starters on the offensive line should remain a priority for the Giants.
2025 season in review
Tackles
Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor, Marcus Mbow, James Hudson III, Evan Neal
Andrew Thomas played 802 snaps for the New York Giants, allowing just 13 pressures and one sack. His season ended against the Minnesota Vikings when he suffered a hamstring injury that he wisely did not play through in the last two weeks of the season. Thomas remained a stalwart and arguably a top-five left tackle in the NFL. Here’s an analytical breakdown of Thomas’ value that substantiates what we witness on tape every Sunday:
Jermaine Eluemunor logged 1,083 snaps at right tackle in 2025, allowing 19 pressures and four sacks, though his play was marred by a concerning number of penalties. He was flagged 14 times — several for false starts — bringing his total penalties as a Giant to 24 in two seasons.
Still, the stability that Eluemunor provided the Giants over the last two seasons is invaluable. He’s competent, large, and has smooth pass-sets that allow him to mirror, while possessing a good anchor to absorb power. He’s an asset as a pass blocker, and he’s adequate as a run blocker. Eluemunor was a Bricillo guy, and he’s set to be a free agent. He’s expressed interest in returning, but that remains to be seen.
Joe Schoen signed James Hudson III in the 2025 free-agent cycle. Hudson III was meant to be quality depth behind Eluemunor and Thomas, especially since the latter was recovering from off-season surgery. Hudson was signed to a two-year, $12-million contract, and he quickly found the bench for the Giants when he committed four penalties to start Week 2 in Dallas. He allowed seven pressures and a sack in 85 offensive snaps. A massive bust of a signing for Schoen, but luckily, there was a contingency plan.
Rookie fifth-round pick Marcus Mbow was forced into action after the failed Hudson experiment. Mbow logged 324 snaps for the Giants — 261 at left tackle, 58 at right tackle, and three at left guard. He allowed 26 pressures and three sacks while committing three penalties.
Overall, Mbow was serviceable. He flashed when asked to block on the move, with smooth feet and controlled movements that stood out on tape. However, he lacked anchor strength, and when defenders attacked his shoulders and won the half-man relationship, his reliability waned. Mbow needs to get stronger.
Interior offensive line
Jon Runyan Jr., Greg Van Roten, John Michael Schmitz, Austin Schlottmann, Aaron Stinnie
Both guards, Jon Runyan Jr. and Greg Van Roten, played more than 1,000 snaps for the Giants. Runyan Jr. allowed 31 pressures and two sacks, while committing six penalties. Van Roten allowed 26 pressures and three sacks with three penalties. The two guards are serviceable. They’re better in pass protection than they are as run blockers. Runyan Jr. doesn’t have a lot of push at the point of attack, but he understands angles and uses his hands well to control and steer.
Van Roten is not a deficient athlete for someone turning 36 next month. Ideally, Van Roten would be a swing guard for the Giants, but he is more than capable of starting.
John Michael Schmitz was beaten up at the end of the 2025 season and, ultimately, was placed on IR with a finger injury after the Minnesota Vikings’ loss. He allowed 14 pressures and a sack with four penalties suffered. Overall, the former 58th overall selection in the 2023 draft clearly had his best year in his third season. He looked more mobile, was communicative with the protection calls, and was adequate as both a run and pass blocker.
Schmitz is a fine NFL player, but he was drafted to be a difference-making type of center. Schmitz does not command the line of scrimmage with power. He’s technically sound, but not necessarily a bully or a massive body mover.
Some view Schmitz as a disappointment, and I can understand that perspective, given the draft capital. Still, he isn’t a liability, but players of his caliber can generally be found on Day 3 of the NFL draft, and Austin Schlottmann’s performance in a backup role was further evidence of that.
Schlottmann played 363 offensive snaps for the Giants in 2025. He allowed just three pressures and was solid as a run blocker. He was competent, there weren’t any glaring protection breakdowns, and he graded very well according to PFF, which checked out on film. He did commit three penalties. Overall, he was a reliable backup.
Aaron Stinnie started against the Minnesota Vikings due to a Runyan injury. He played 56 snaps in that game and was an extra offensive lineman for the Giants five more times. He allowed just one pressure against the Vikings. He was solid enough as a depth option.
2026 outlook
Eluemunor, Neal, Schlottmann, Van Roten, Stinnie, and Josh Ezeudu are set to be free agents. Ezeudu missed the 2025 season with a calf injury and will likely not be a part of the Giants’ future. Neal is gone, and Schlottmann and Stinnie are likely leaving as well, although they could be retained on the cheap, and I would support those choices.
I am certainly open to retaining Van Roten. He had an impressive season for the Giants in 2024 and earned a one-year, $3.25-million contract in 2025. He is a Long Island guy and may want to stay local, but he was also a Bricillo favorite. It remains to be seen how the Harbaugh coaching staff will view an aging veteran like Van Roten.
Eluemunor, though, is the big decision for Harbaugh and Joe Schoen. Spotrac.com has Eluemunor’s market value set at two years, $17.3 million ($8.7 million average annual value) — that would be well worth Eluemunor’s impact. However, I think he’ll receive a bit more due to the inflated tackle market.
I don’t want to break up the Giants’ offensive line; protecting Jaxson Dart is critical for the Giants, and Bricillo’s unit did that in 2025, while doing the same for Daniel Jones and Drew Lock in 2024. New York must have a plan at right tackle.
I like Mbow, but I’m not comfortable handing him the right tackle spot. I would prefer the Giants sign Jermaine Eluemunor.
New York could draft a tackle as well. The Giants sit with the fifth pick, and Miami’s Francis Mauigoa has played 2,801 snaps at right tackle through his career for the Hurricanes, while allowing just 15 pressures in 2025. Spencer Spano for Utah has also played the last two seasons at right tackle. Spano’s teammate, Caleb Lomu, who mostly played left tackle, is a high upside swing that could interest the Giants. There are depth options New York could explore as well.
Harbaugh could also look to bring in a familiar face from Baltimore. Daniel Faalele — the 6-foot-8, 380-pound mountain — played more than 1,000 snaps at right guard in 2025. He allowed 30 pressures and four sacks in 2025, with five penalties. His size would give the Giants a much different type of offensive lineman, although he still has technical issues. He could be a depth option to compete with Van Roten.
Tyler Linderbaum’s name is associated with the Giants ahead of free agency. Linderbaum would instantly upgrade the Giants’ run blocking, but would likely set the center market over the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey; so Linderbaum may look for a contract around $20 million a year, and the former Iowa Hawkeyes’ pass protection makes that a questionable investment.
Linderbaum struggles with power. He allowed 26 pressures and a pair of sacks in 2025, and he has 15 penalties over the last two seasons. Still, he’s played more than 1,000 snaps in each of his four seasons, and he would be an upgrade over Schmitz, although his name carries a little bit more gravitas than his impact, in my opinion. It’s safe to question the value of an inflated contract for a player who is an average pass blocker, although the run game would improve.
There are other free agent options the Giants could consider, many of which would likely be cheaper than the existing players on the roster. Runyan Jr. is in the last year of his contract. He could be considered for a release due to his $9.3 million in savings and a $2.5 million dead cap hit; however, Runyan Jr. is too valuable, so maybe the Giants look to extend him early to create more cap space immediately.
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