One of the primary goals of New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is to find the right five offensive linemen and get consistent play from the unit.
In his four seasons on the job, Schoen has tried a little bit of everything. He’s used top draft picks and free agency in an attempt to get an offensive line that can gain some traction finally.
Following several seasons of draft misses and major injuries, Schoen might have what he’s looking for upfront on offense. After missing out on several big-ticket guards in free agency, Schoen turned back to 35-year-old Greg Van Roten for one more year.
Van Roten, who played every offensive snap for Big Blue in 2024, is currently penciled in at the starting right guard spot. On Wednesday at the Giants’ second OTA, he stressed to to the media the importance of continuity and depth. He’s just another name on the depth chart.
“The offensive line, we are deep, so there’s a lot of depth. There’s a lot of talent,” Van Roten said.
He went on to praise two young linemen, rookie Marcus Mbow, and second-year guard Jake Kubas.
“Marcus looks like he can be a good player. Jake showed a lot of promise and last year hoping to build on that in year two,” Van Roten said. “That’s kind of what you want to see out of your younger players to take that step forward after being in the system for a year and having the same coaches and all that. So, it’s important for those guys, too.”
Van Roten was asked about the shift of former first-round pick Evan Neal from tackle to guard this summer. Neal is in the final year of his contract and the position change is seen as a last-ditch effort to salvage his Giants’ career. He will be thrown into the mix and Van Roten welcomes the challenge.
“I mean we’re all competing. Nothing is set in stone,” he said. “This is May, so you’ve got to earn it every day. And that’s a reason I think that I’ve been able to stick around the league for 14 years because I don’t think that I’ve earned anything or anything should be handed to me. I’m sure Evan feels the same way. I’m sure Jake feels the same way. There’s a lot of guys in our room and the reality of the situation, we will have nine or 10 at the end of the training camp, so you just want to be in that nine or 10.”
A player the Giants need to take a step up this season is third-year center John Michael Schmitz, who Van Roten enjoys playing alongside.
“I love playing next to John. He’s a really smart center and I think he’s taken steps every year and hopefully this year, Year 3, you want to take another step. You want to be the guy and I think he is the guy, and we’ll just keep going,” he said.
What’s different about this year’s team is the quarterback position, where the Giants added two veterans, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and rookie Jaxson Dart.
“There’s a lot of personalities in that room,” said Van Roten. “They’re all different. Not that one’s better than the other. Russ is definitely very detailed. Jameis is a great locker room guy, Tommy is Tommy, and then we’re learning about Jaxson, seeing what he’s all about. They all bring something kind of unique and special to the room, so it’s going to be exciting to watch them kind of progress throughout the off-season in training camp.”
The Giants hope the combination of offensive line continuity and the new faces at quarterback finally yield quality results.