Giants 2025 Position Breakdown: A healthy Andrew Thomas a must for the offensive line

Heading into the 2025 season, theGiantsare coming off another incredibly disappointing campaign, which saw them go 3-14 and take another step in the wrong direction, putting GMJoe Schoenand head coachBrian Dabollfirmly on the hot seat. But as the team heads into 2025, there's optimism that the Giants will be an improved squad.

In this series, we'll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we'll go in-depth along the offensive line...

Projected depth chart

Starters (from left to right): Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan Jr., John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten, Jermaine Eluemunor
Backups: Evan Neal, Aaron Stinnie, Austin Schlottmann, Marcus Mbow, James Hudson, Josh Ezeudu, Jimmy Morrissey, Stone Forsythe
Key additions/losses: Drafted Mbow in the fifth round, signed Hudson and Forsythe
Top Performers in 2024: N/A
2024 ranking via PFF: Thomas ranked 24th among 140 offensive tackles

What Giants offensive linemen have going for them

How long has the offensive line been a bugaboo for the Giants? It's starting to feel like forever.

Last offseason, Joe Schoen and his staff made an effort to improve the line, signing starters in Runyan, Van Roten, and Eluemunor, as well as key backups in Schlottmann and Stinnie. This offseason, the Giants drafted Mbow in the fifth round and added depth with free agents like Hudson and Forsythe, but the unit comes into 2025 looking nearly identical to how it did last year, from a starters perspective.

The linchpin of the group remains Thomas, an All-Pro in 2022 and one of the Giants' rare hits in terms of drafting linemen in recent memory. Thomas is as good a blindside protector as there is in the NFL, though durability has been a concern.

Aside from Thomas, the other big thing the Giants have going for them in the tranches is versatility. The veteran Eluemunor proved last season that he can line up pretty much anywhere, as he was signed primarily to play guard but ended up playing quite a bit at right tackle, which is where he slots in as a starter in 2025. Runyan and Van Roten can also move around a bit, and can take center reps if called upon.

The Giants may not have added an impact starter to the line this offseason, but continuity is huge for offensive linemen, and the starting members of the Giants' line should know each other very well at this point.

Key concern for 2025: Depth, if Thomas can't stay on the field

As mentioned, the 2024 offseason featured a big shakeup for the Giants' offensive line, but the 2025 offseason? Not so much. The concern here revolves around Thomas, who -- when healthy -- is as good as it gets. But staying healthy has been a problem for the big man, who has played a combined 16 games over the past two seasons due to myriad injuries. The left tackle spot became a revolving door with Thomas out, with Ezeudu and Chris Hubbard failing to get the job done before Eluemunor was eventually moved over to that spot.

Another question to keep in mind is how Neal fits into the picture. A first-round pick in 2022, Neal was supposed to be the starting right tackle for years to come, forming an outstanding young duo with Thomas, but those hopes have vanished, with Neal now an afterthought on the depth chart, finding himself as a backup guard. The Giants have already declined the 2026 fifth-year option for Neal, making 2025 his final year under contract. In all likelihood, Neal could be a cap casualty at the end of camp if the Giants don't find a trade partner. But if Neal were to stick with the team this season and rediscover what made him such a big-time prospect, perhaps he could help a line in need of depth.

Player who must step up in 2025: Schmitz

A second-round pick in 2023, Schmitz struggled as a rookie but showed marginal improvement during his second pro season, starting 15 games and improving in both pass protection and in the run game.

Still, the Giants need more from their center, whom Pro Football Focus ranked 26th among the 32 projected starting centers heading into 2025. The Giants have invested quite a bit in Schmitz, using the No. 57 overall pick to select him after a strong career at Minnesota. And after spending big at the guard spots and on Thomas' extension, Big Blue can't really afford to have Schmitz regress this season.

Biggest camp battle: Mbow vs. Eluemunor

The Giants' fifth-round selection in this year's draft, Mbow is a bit undersized for an NFL tackle at 6-foot-4, 313 pounds with 32-inch arms. But his athleticism, as well as his versatility, makes him an intriguing piece. Having played both guard and right tackle at Purdue, perhaps Mbow can make a push for the starting right tackle job. Eluemunor did a little bit of everything for the Giants last season, but he's now on the other side of 30, and Mbow could push him, and Van Roten, for playing time.

Overall 2025 outlook

On paper, the Giants didn't do much to improve an offensive line that's been a nagging problem for what feels like a decade. They drafted Mbow in the fifth round and hope to have a healthy Thomas back in the lineup, but didn't make many major moves elsewhere along the line.

The hope here is that another year together brings the continuity up front that the Giants have so desperately needed, and that the veteran group collectively takes a step forward.

Time will tell if that's the case, or if the Giants' line will once again be their downfall.