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The New York Giants roster is full of difference-makers who can make a huge impact on the 2023 NFL season. From Daniel Jones to Saquon Barkley to Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants training camp is filled with stars. However, there is one player who could make or break this season for the team who you might not expect. And that player is center John Michael Schmitz.
John Michael Schmitz is the surprising player on the Giants roster who could make or break the 2023 NFL season
Head coach Brian Daboll got more out of the Giants last season than almost anyone expected. The former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator came to New Jersey and changed the culture around the team almost immediately.
Daboll was the fourth head coach in six years, and he inherited a Giants roster that went 4-13 the year before and hadn’t made the playoffs since 2016. Still, in Year 1, Daboll led the team to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff berth. He resurrected Saquon Barkley’s career and made Daniel Jones into a $40 million per year quarterback.
While the offense had a good year last season, there were still areas that the unit needed to improve on ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
In 2022, the Giants offensive line ranked 29th in the NFL, according to PFF’s rankings. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is an excellent player and had a great season. However, rookie first-round pick Evan Neal (No. 7 overall), struggled at times playing right tackle. The team also started Mark Glowinski and Joshua Ezeudu at guard and Jon Feliciano at center.
None of these players fared well last season, and the Giants' front office knew it had to make some upgrades this offseason.
Ben Bredson and Shane Lemieux, who were both slated to start in Giants training camp last season but were knocked out due to injuries, are back and healthy this year and will compete with Glowinski and Ezeudu. Neal should, hypothetically, get better in his second season, which will be a huge help to Barkley and Jones.
All this is the natural evolution of an offensive line. However, the G Men also took a major step to upgrade the unit in the most decent NFL draft, taking Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz in Round 2 (No. 57 overall).
Schmitz was the rock of the Minnesota offensive line in college as a three-year starter. He is also a leader who makes the calls, and he has good size (6-foot-4, 301 pounds) and athleticism for the position.
Having a good offensive line is key to the Giants taking the next step this season.
Daniel Jones was the fifth-most-sacked quarterback last season, going down 44 times. And the way Daboll got around this was by calling a lot of gimmick plays to get him time to throw. No QB in the NFL did more play-action, bootlegs, screens, and other non-straight-forward pass plays than Jones last season. If he’s going to become better and justify his $40 million-a-year contract, he will need to become a better drop-back passer, and that starts with the line.
A strong running game is also crucial, and the better the line blocks for Barkley, the better he will be. The star running back had an incredible season last year, finishing fourth in rushing, with 1,312 yards. With better blocking, he could be even better as well.
NFL centers have a ton of responsibility, and it can be hard for a rookie to get up to speed. However, for the best center prospects, becoming a top player at the position in Year 1 isn’t out of the question. For example, Baltimore Ravens rookie center Tyler Linderbaum was one of the best centers in the league last year.
So, John Michael Schmitz could be the player to make or break his team’s 2023 NFL season. And early in Giants training camp, Schmitz is getting the opportunity to win the starting job. Right now, the only other true center on the Giants roster is former Pittsburgh Steelers center J.C. Hassenauer. It is Brederson, though, who is currently splitting time in Big Blue practices with the rookie.
Brederson is ultimately a better fit at guard, so Schmitz should be the leader in the clubhouse to start in the middle of the line. And the rookie should have every opportunity to do so, as that is the best long-term outcome for the team. Adding the 24-year-old Schmitz to a line with the 22-year-old Neal and the 24-year-old Thomas could set the Giants O-line to be one of the best in the league in the next few years.
It all starts in Giants training camp, though, and with Schmitz at center, it could make the Giants a true contender instead of just a fringe playoff team.
