Prior to the arrival of Saquon Barkley, the New York Giants struggled on the ground dating back to the days of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. And while Barkley eclipsed 1,000 yards during his rookie campaign, it did not come easy.
The Giants’ rushing attack was limited due to a suspect offensive line and only really rounded into shape when Jamon Brown was added to the starting lineup mid-season.
On Friday, the Giants took a step towards solidifying that line and, more specifically, the interior of their line with the re-signing of center Jon Halapio and the acquisition of guard Kevin Zeitler from the Cleveland Browns.
The interior combination of Will Hernandez, Halapio and Zeitler will not only offer some consistency, but as Andy Benoit of MMQB explains, will allow for more diversity on the ground.
A weakness of New York’s—interior O-line play—can now be a strength, with Zeitler solidifying the right guard spot opposite last year’s second-round left guard Will Hernandez. Guard play is where your rushing attack’s schematic diversity derives; the Giants suddenly have the pieces to do more than just the simple inside zone runs that have defined them in recent years. Which means Zeitler’s addition, theoretically, increases the value of arguably the team’s most important asset, Saquon Barkley.
It’s hard to imagine what Barkley can do with a stronger interior line and more opportunities to find open lanes, but the football world is going to find out in short order. And if the Giants can manage to find a quality all-around right tackle, there’s a possibility Barkley could aim for that elusive 2,000-yard mark.
