The opening day of New York Giants training camp brought a scary moment when offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor left practice after seemingly taking a shot to the ribs from Dexter Lawrence, but he calmed concerns with his post on X, formerly known as Twitter on Wednesday night.
“I'm good 👍🏼” Jermaine Eluemunor posted on X.
After taking the hit from Dexter Lawrence, Eluemunor stayed on the ground for a bit and walked off under his own power. He was a key signing for Joe Schoen this offseason in free agency, as he let running back Saquon Barkley walk to invest in the offensive line with Eluemunor as well as Jon Runyan Jr.
Eluemunor's contract is for two years and $14 million total, and the Giants can get out of the deal with minimal dead cap after year one if it does not work out this season. Jon Runyan Jr. signed a three-year, $30 million contract, as Joe Schoen believes he could be a stabilizing member of the unit for multiple years.
The strategy of letting Barkley walk and allocating funds to the offensive line was apparent on Hard Knocks. Schoen specifically mentioned pairing Runyan with former All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas and second-year center John Michael Schmitz. When discussing Eluemunor, Schoen said that the value was in his versatility to play both guard and tackle. Eluemunor also played under new Giants offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.
Due to Evan Neal's disappointing first two seasons in the NFL after being selected No. 7 overall by the Giants in 2022, Schoen built in a backup plan for if he does not improve in year three. If Neal disappoints, Eluemunor could slide to the right tackle spot. That is where Eluemunor was practicing on Wednesday due to Neal starting training camp on the PUP list. If Neal is healthy and performing well, Eluemunor has the versatility to fill one of the guard spots.
Giants trying to finally fix offensive line woes
The Giants' offensive line has been a big problem for a long time. It is arguably the biggest problem when looking most of the losing the franchise has done over the last decade.
During Hard Knocks, Schoen mentioned Daniel Jones getting hurt due to bad protection last season, and brought up the need for the Giants to “protect themselves” this season. The Eluemunor and Runyan signings are an effort to do that.
Still, if a few injuries hit the offensive line, the Giants could be in a very similar spot as last season. That is especially true if Andrew Thomas gets hurt again.
Going into this season, the offensive line is one of the biggest position groups to watch for the Giants. Luckily, Eluemunor did not suffer anything serious as a result of the hit from Dexter Lawrence.
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