Giants re-sign vet OL Greco
Familiarity goes a long way in life, and certainly in the NFL. John Greco, a veteran guard, re-signed Wednesday with the Giants, reconnecting with two coaches who undoubtedly have a favorable impression of Greco from their first tour together.
Greco, 32, started his career with the Rams and was there when Giants head coach Pat Shurmur was the Rams offensive coordinator. He was with the Browns in 2011 and 2012, when Shurmur was the head coach in Cleveland. Greco started 10 games in 2012. Greco’s last year with the Browns was 2016, when newly hired Giants offensive line coach Hal Hunter held that position with the Browns.
New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s vow is to fix the offensive line. Greco’s presence on the roster adds experience, competition, a strong locker-room leader and, most likely, not a starting player. In need of healthy bodies, the Giants last season signed Greco on Nov. 14 and he played in five games, almost exclusively on special teams. He has 116 games and 70 starts on his NFL résumé. He began his career in 2008 with the Rams, spent six years in Cleveland and was with the Saints at the start of the 2017 season.
Two players who entered 2017 as starters on the offensive line, Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg, are set to become unrestricted free agents. Veteran guard John Jerry could see his spot on the team in danger when the Giants begin purging players from the roster. Gettleman calls offensive linemen “hog mollies’’ and Greco fits that description.