May Flowers finally arrive for Big Blue
There is an actual Ereck Flowers sighting. Perhaps there is life in his floundering Giants existence, after all.
Five weeks after the Giants opened up their offseason workout program, Flowers on Monday finally decided to join in, The Post confirmed. His absence was noteworthy and confusing, as it made no sense as far as furthering his career, with the Giants or any other team.
Now it remains to be seen if he can catch up as he gets to work in a new spot — he is moving to right tackle — and if the new coaching staff can get more out of him than the previous two staffs managed to extract from the No. 9-overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.
Flowers, 24, stayed home in Miami because he was angered about being replaced at left tackle, where he started 46 games the past three seasons, a move triggered by the signing of Nate Solder for $62 million. Solder, Tom Brady’s blind-side protector with the Patriots, is an accomplished offensive tackle and instantly supplanted Flowers.
The Giants were more confused than upset over Flowers’ no-show, but they did try to trade him during the NFL draft. They first tried to get a fourth-round draft pick in return, according to a source, but had no takers. They continued to lower the bar and no team offered a fifth-, sixth- or even seventh-round pick in return.
During this past weekend’s rookie minicamp, new head coach Pat Shurmur said, “We’ve been in contact with Ereck. It’s our understanding that he’s in good shape. I can’t wait for him to be here. I’ve mentioned it in the past, there were some things that he did last year that were really good, and I look forward to him getting here at some point and working with him.’’
Safety Landon Collins revealed last week Flowers was not participating in the offseason program because he was upset about the signing of Solder, citing a cousin who is friendly with Flowers.
Flowers in his first three years with the Giants did not have an agent — his father was listed as his representation — and recently hired Drew Rosenhaus, a longtime NFL agent with a history of making deals with the Giants. The Giants did not pick up the fifth-year option on Flowers’ contract — it would have been for $12.5 million — and Flowers will play this season for $2.39 million, completing his four-year, $14.3 million rookie deal.
Of course, there is no guarantee he will be on the team in 2018, given how much time he has already missed and how much credibility he may have lost with Shurmur and Dave Gettleman, the new general manager. Also, Flowers is moving to the right side, a new place for him to operate. Given his issues with technique as far as footwork and hand placement on his more comfortable left side, Flowers might be incapable of transitioning to the right side of the offensive line.
The Giants want Flowers to be part of their extensive offensive line makeover that includes Solder, former Jaguars starter Patrick Omameh at right guard, rookie secondround pick Will Hernandez at left guard and Brett Jones returning at center. At the veteran minicamp during the last week of April, secondyear Chad Wheeler lined up as the starting right tackle and figures to be the player Flowers has to beat out to win the starting job.
Bisnowaty, an offensive tackle taken in the sixth round in 2017, participated in the rookie camp. He was on the practice squad for the first 15 games last season before he was signed to the active roster, starting the season finale against the Redskins.
All six players added attended the rookie camp, but not all of them are rookies. Two veterans were signed: Guard Chris Scott, with 45 NFL games on his résumé (including Super Bowl 50) and cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, who has played in 33 NFL games. Both Scott and Lewis-Harris were out of football in 2017.
The other newly signed additions are two first-year players, guard Malcolm Bunche of UCLA and receiver Alonzo Russell of Toledo, and two rookies: Defensive back Mike Jones (Temple) and running back Robert Martin (Rutgers).
The other cuts are cornerback Brandon Dixon, linebacker Derrick Mathews, cornerback C.J. Goodwin, tight end Stephen Baggett and cornerback Byron Fields.
The most interesting addition could be Scott, a 330pound, 30-year-old guard who played for the Panthers at a time (2013-2016) that coincided with new Giants general manager Dave Gettleman’s tenure in Carolina. Scott was a 2010 fifth-round pick of the Steelers out of Tennessee.
DT Jay Bromley, the Giants’ 2014 third-round pick, signed with the Saints.
Odell Beckham Jr. is the only remaining player on the Giants roster from the seven-member 2014 draft class.