Giants make 2nd deal to fortify their O-line
The Giants traded for Baltimore Ravens backup guard Ben Bredeson on Tuesday, their second deal for an offensive lineman in two days.
And they’re probably not done adding to their front, either through waiver claims or more trades.
“I don’t think your roster’s ever final,” coach Joe Judge said before Tuesday afternoon’s practice, when asked if the Giants were done dealing for O-linemen. “Anyone we see out there that we think can improve us, we’re looking to keep as many good football players in this program as possible. We’re always looking to add good players.”
GM Dave Gettleman and the Giants gave up their 2022 fourth-round pick and got back Bredeson, a 2022 fifth-round pick and Baltimore’s 2023 seventh-round pick, according to a source.
The fifth-rounder coming back to the Giants originally belonged to the Chiefs and came to Baltimore in the Orlando Brown trade, per ESPN, which broke the news of Bredeson’s trade.
Tuesday’s trade came one day after the Giants had acquired Cincinnati Bengals backup center/guard Billy Price in exchange for defensive lineman B.J. Hill and a conditional 2022 seventh-round pick.
Of Bredeson and Price, Judge said simply: “I think both guys have upside to work with. They have the potential to improve our team.”
Bredeson, 23, a second-year pro out of Michigan, was a fourth-round Ravens draft pick in 2020.
He played only 48 offensive snaps as a rookie, 47 as an in-line tight end and one at left tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He appeared in 10 games and started none.
League sources describe him as a “solid” player who is still developing. He was a two-time captain at Michigan. He wasn’t able to earn playing time on a subpar Ravens offensive line last season, but run-heavy Baltimore did utilize his skills in their heavier packages.
The Giants’ eight offensive linemen for now are center Nick Gates;
tackles Andrew Thomas, Nate Solder and Matt Peart; guards Shane Lemieux, Will Hernandez and Bredeson; and the center/guard Price.
The Giants only had six on the field for Tuesday’s light walkthrough with Price and Bredeson en route.
Their situation at left guard is especially tenuous. Lemieux (knee) didn’t play in a preseason game and didn’t even go to New England with the team for joint practices last week.
Judge said his status for Week 1 is not yet clear. But Lemieux is playing with a partially torn patellar tendon in his knee, according to The Athletic.
“These next few days will tell a lot,” Judge said. “He’s been trending in the right direction. We kept him behind when we went to New England to work with the trainers. It was a positive week for him. [Wednesday] and Thursday will be a big tell for us going into Week 1 in terms of maybe what we can expect to see.”
Hernandez has been working as the starting right guard. And Solder started the preseason finale over Peart at right tackle.
The team cut veteran guard Kenny Wiggins, center/guard Jonotthan Harrison, guard/tackle Chad Slade, rookie tackle/guard Jake Burton and rookie center/guard Brett Heggie on Tuesday.
The club also placed OL Ted Larsen (knee) on injured reserve.
Back in March, the Giants cut starting right guard Kevin Zeitler. They signed three veterans at center/guard this offseason: Harrison, Zach Fulton and Joe Looney. But Looney and Fulton retired early in training camp and Harrison is gone now, too.
The Giants’ offensive line was the biggest concern and story entering training camp, and it remains the biggest issue as their Week 1 home opener with the Denver Broncos approaches on Sept. 12.
THE INJURY REPORT
Evan Engram (calf) was the only Giants player not on the field at Tuesday’s practice. Judge had no update on Engram’s injury other than calling his tight end’s status for Week 1 a “gray area” based on how he responds to work the next several days.
If the tight end got news from his doctor’s visit, the Giants’ coach wasn’t revealing it.
“No,” Judge said. “We’ll see over the next couple days where we think this could go. We’re only a few days out. He’s a guy that’s shown some quick turnaround in the past. Last year he had something very similar. It’s not the same injury as before, but we’ll see how his body responds.”
Running back Saquon Barkley (right ACL), wide receiver Darius Slayton (left foot/ankle), Kenny Golladay (hamstring), Kadarius Toney (undisclosed) and Kyle Rudolph (foot) all participated in some individual and team work on Tuesday. No updates yet on their Week 1 statuses.
On the side with trainers were wideout John Ross (hamstring), corner Aaron Robinson (core muscle, PUP list), corner Josh Jackson (lower body) and edge Elerson Smith (hamstring).