RESCUED BY A SOLDER
Giants add stability, toughness to O-line & aren’t done yet
Andrew Norwell and Nate Solder were the top two offensive linemen in the NFL’s free agent market, and Dave Gettleman went 1-for-2 on his big game hunt. Not bad. Not bad at all. Gettleman, under pressure after losing the All-Pro Panthers guard Norwell to Tom Coughlin’s Jaguars on Tuesday, won the sweepstakes Wednesday for the Patriots’ Solder, landing the top left tackle available to address one of the club’s biggest weaknesses on Eli Manning’s blind side.
The contract makes Solder, who turns 30 in April, the NFL’s highest paid offensive lineman at four years and $62 million, including $35 million guaranteed, for a league-high $15.5 million annual average, according to a source.
That’s what it takes to sign a top free agent, though, especially since the Giants were desperate for a win coming off the loss of Norwell and facing stiff reported competition from the Patriots, Browns and Texans.
Is the Solder signing a home run? One scout unaffiliated with the Giants who I talked to Wednesday had criticisms, but he still graded the signing an approving B+, saying Solder will improve both the Giants’ O-line and locker room.
“I like Solder. Physically, the tools are still there,” the scout said. “Above average run blocker. Good in pass protection. No longer elite because his lateral movement skills and athleticism have diminished a bit. But more importantly, he has mental and locker room intangibles.
“He’s a smart, heady guy,” the scout continued. “Sophisticated defensive packages are a non-issue for him. He protected (Tom) Brady for years without issue except for injury. Great locker room guy, too. Will help bring adult maturity and emotional stability to a volatile locker room.”
Stability and reliability are the two most critical traits for a left tackle. Incumbent Ereck Flowers, ex-GM Jerry Reese’s ninth overall pick in 2015, had not demonstrated either consistently enough on or off the field, which created the need to break the bank for Solder.
Flowers, 23, likely will slide to right tackle or become a backup. The Giants have implied they intend to have him on their 2018 roster, though the fourth year of his rookie contract is expected to be his final as a Giant. Flowers, remember, was made inactive in Week 17 of last season along with Bobby Hart. Hart’s already been released.
Chad Wheeler, an undrafted rookie last season out of USC, should stand at the moment as Solder’s top backup.
The Giants’ intentions to make one more Super Bowl run with Manning, 37, at quarterback also dictated this type of splash move. Their failure to upgrade the line a year ago already cost them one opportunity to do it.
Reese last offseason didn’t pursue top free agent left tackle Andrew Whitworth, whose $13.3 million average on a new deal with the L.A. Rams made him the highest paid lineman until Solder agreed to his Giants deal Wednesday.
The Rams went 11-5 and advanced to the playoffs with Whitworth keeping QB Jared Goff’s pocket clean. The Giants, retaining Flowers at left tackle, couldn’t protect Manning and went 3-13 and fired coach Ben McAdoo and Reese.
So enter savior, or Solder rather, as the first major piece of Gettleman’s rebuild of the offensive line, and the second big acquisition of Gettleman’s offseason including last week’s trade for Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree.
Solder is a two-time Super Bowl champion who has started 31 of a possible 32 regular season games the past two years, ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 left tackle in the league from Week 9 of last season on, and played excellently in New England’s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.
He has played his entire career for the Patriots since they drafted him 17th overall out of Colorado in 2011. That includes 95 regular season starts and 16 career playoff appearances. He’s been to the Super Bowl four times, beginning with a 2011 loss to, of course, the Giants his rookie year.
So where do the Giants go from here in their offensive line rebuild? Well, on Wednesday Gettleman also agreed to terms with Jacksonville Jaguars free agent offensive guard Patrick Omameh, a 6-4, 327-pound lineman who has made 45 careerstarts for three different teams in his five years in the league. Gettleman also placed a second-round tender on restricted free agent center Brett Jones, according to a source, which amounts to a one-year salary of $2.914 million. He is versatile and can play guard, as well.
Gettleman isn’t done, though. With center Weston Richburg signing in San Francisco, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Giants GM drafted a center, too. Giant free agent guards Justin Pugh and D.J. Fluker, remember, are still out there. So are Chicago Bears left guard Josh Sitton, 31, and Patriots right tackle Cameron Fleming, 25.
Gettleman doesn’t have unlimited resources, though, and he could have his eyes on recently released Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu, so it’s going to take creativity. (Can you imagine Mathieu ball-hawking at free safety to complement Landon Collins’ intimidation at strong?)
At least on Wednesday, though, the Giants were able to claim a Happy League New Year when 4 p.m. struck and free agency officially opened, and they weren’t left empty-handed at their primary position of need.