Giants general manager Dave Gettleman has completed his overhaul of an offensive line tasked with protecting Eli Manning (or Daniel Jones) and paving the way for Saquon Barkley. On Saturday, he finally signed his right tackle.
The Giants agreed to sign Mike Remmers, his agent announced. Remmers should replace Chad Wheeler at right tackle unless Wheeler is able to beat him out.
Happy to announce that Mike Remmers just agreed in principle to a deal with the New York Giants and is looking forward to moving back to his natural position of right tackle. His last 2 seasons playing that position he helped his teams to a Super Bowl and a NFC Championship game.
— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) May 11, 2019
In Remmers, the Giants are getting a 30-year-old veteran who is best known for his time with the Panthers from 2014-16 and the Vikings the past two seasons. This past season in Minnesota, Remmers spent time at right guard, where he struggled mightily. According to Pro Football Focus, Remmers graded out as the 50th-best guard last season.
Gettleman, of course, was the Panthers' general manager when they brought in Remmers. So, he's quite familiar with him -- as is coach Pat Shurmur, who was the Vikings' offensive coordinator in 2017. In Carolina, Remmers played on the exterior of the offensive line, which is where he should line up in 2019 after the Giants parted ways with Ereck Flowers, who failed to adequately make the transition to right tackle after he failed to emerge as a quality left tackle. Flowers was benched for Wheeler last season before getting cut from the team entirely.
Put another way, the Giants have had their issues at the tackle positions in recent years.
Gettleman has prioritized fixing the offensive line over the past two years. He signed Nate Solder as his new left tackle and drafted left guard Will Hernandez last year. This offseason, he traded for right guard Kevin Zeitler and has now signed Remmers to presumably start at right tackle. Either Spencer Pulley or Jon Halapio, both of whom were on the roster a year ago, should start at center.
Last season, the Giants' offensive line ranked 29th in run blocking and 20th in pass protection, per Football Outsiders' metrics. So, changes were entirely necessary. It's just not clear if the changes will make enough for a difference. Just because Remmers is the expected starter at right tackle doesn't mean the Giants' problems at the position have been solved. Remmers has been a flawed player throughout his career. And that's unlikely to change at this stage in his career.
