BLUE ’WELL

Other options out there for OL

DEEP breaths, Giants fans. Deep breaths. That’s what they tell you, isn’t it, when you’ve had the wind knocked out of you like the Giants did Tuesday morning? Carolina Panthers All-Pro free agent guard Andrew Norwell, the apple of GM Dave Gettleman’s eye, not only agreed to sign elsewhere. He chose Jacksonville, where Jaguars executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin — who once taught Gettleman in New York the axiom that “big men allow you to compete” — stuck to his own wisdom for a major March win over his former franchise.

Norwell, 26, will become the highest-paid guard in the NFL at a $13.3 million annual value on a new fiveyear, $66.5 million contract with $30 million guaranteed, per ESPN. That was a difficult financial offer for even the keenly-interested Giants to compete with, especially because Florida has no state income tax.

But it’s undeniable also that Norwell found in Jacksonville a team more prepared to compete for a Super Bowl. The Giants are rebuilding coming off a 3-13 season with a new coach and GM and a 37-year-old Eli Manning at QB.

The Jags went 10-6 last year and hung 45 points on the Steelers at Heinz Field in the divisional round of the playoffs. With a ferocious power running game featuring top back Leonard Fournette, they lost by only four points to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

Choosing Blake Bortles over Manning? Well, yeah, that one’s interesting. But money talks and so do wins.

This does not leave the Giants high and dry. An offseason does not get decided in a day. And the Giants at least reportedly are in the sweepstakes for Patriots free-agent left tackle Nate Solder, 29, per TheMMQB.com.

So if they lure the premier left tackle on the market to New York away from both New England and outside suitors such as the Houston Texans, they will have scored a huge victory and found a replacement for the embattled Ereck Flowers. Solder was excellent, by the way, in the Pats’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles this past February.

Losing Norwell is a blow, though, and Gettleman is finding out quickly that it’s no given he’ll be able to recruit his preferred players during this time of turnover in East Rutherford. It’s going to take creativity to remake both the offensive line and team to suit his vision. And while he secured veteran Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, 30, on Tuesday, it wasn’t a message-sending move that changed the complexion of the team. The most intriguing effect of losing Norwell, though, could be how it impacts Gettleman’s use of the No. 2 pick.

Notre Dame left guard Quenton Nelson, the consensus top offensive line prospect in the draft, already is the prototypical “hog molly” Gettleman covets. The former standout at Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic High School even grew up a Giants fan. So if the Giants aren’t able to rebuild their interior line in free agency, that would increase the possibility they could take Nelson if they don’t go quarterback in the first round — even over Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, since they need blockers for their backs first.

In fact, with so many NFL teams hunting QBs at the top of this draft, the Giants likely would be able to trade down several slots — to Denver at five or the Jets at six, for example — and still get Nelson plus more draft picks to restock a roster severely lacking in depth.

It’s also arguably more prudent than ever to draft a can’t-miss offensive guard in the first round considering how much money the Jaguars just paid a top veteran like Norwell. Comparably, the Giants would control a stud like Nelson for up to five years on a reasonable rookie contract instead.

The draft is fairly deep at O-line, too, so watch out for Texas left tackle Connor Williams, Notre Dame left tackle Mike McGlinchey and even a player like Oregon tackle Tyrell Crosby, whom one NFL evaluator suggested at the Combine could grow into an All-Pro guard due to his strength and nasty streak.

The Giants still want to add bodies, though, having lost center Weston Richburg on a five-year deal to the 49ers, needing upgrades nearly across the board. And beyond Solder there are plenty of linemen who could help.

Left guard Josh Sitton, 31, most recently of the Bears, is one of the more intriguing names now that Norwell is gone to the Jags. Sitton, a four-time Pro Bowler, 2014 All-Pro and former Packer Super Bowl champion, is hitting free agency because the Bears declined his $8 million option for 2018, but he’s a leader who can still play.

The Giants’ own free-agent guards Justin Pugh and D.J. Fluker conceivably could re-sign. And Patriots right tackle Cameron Fleming, 25, a 6-6, 320-pound tower, is a name to watch, as well. Fleming started six games last year and two in the playoffs, including the Super Bowl. he Giants need to strike quickly, though. The Cleveland Browns, for example, reportedly secured Steelers swing tackle Chris Hubbard on a five-year, $37.4 million deal with $18 million guaranteed.

Meanwhile, in the NFC East, the Super Bowl champion Eagles continued to strengthen their defensive line depth by agreeing with Ravens veteran nose tackle Haloti Ngata on a one-year contract, and adding Broncos linebacker Corey Nelson behind, despite losing tight end Trey Burton to Chicago.

The Giants did enough losing last season while watching the Eagles win. They need to strike back.

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