New York Giants: Kevin Zeitler completes solid interior line
After selling off linebacker Olivier Vernon, the New York Giants now meet their prize: guard Kevin Zeitler, and a complete interior offensive line.
If the New York Giants are going to keep Eli Manning out there in 2019, it’s best that they at least keep him healthy. At the ripe old age of 38, Manning isn’t the NFL’s most mobile quarterback, and the 47 sacks the Giants allowed in 2018 are exemplary of that. But Manning wasn’t the only problem for New York last season.
Getting to the heart of the matter on why the Giants gave up too many sacks in 2018, we come to their offensive line. It’s not secret that New York has had a revolving door at the offensive line group for at least a few years now, and that hasn’t helped the Manning aging process at all. In fact, it may have sped it up by at least a couple of years. However, the Giants may be getting a clue, as shown by the recent trade they made with the Cleveland Browns.
When the new league year begins, the New York Giants will be receiving right guard Kevin Zeitler from the Cleveland Browns, in exchange for edge pass-rusher Olivier Vernon. At 29 years old, Zeitler is in his prime, and one of the best offensive guards in the NFL. Zeitler was a big help in keeping Baker Mayfield’s jersey clean in the second half of the year, as the Browns only allowed nine quarterback hits from Week 9 onward.
Pairing Zeitler with 23-year old left guard Will Hernandez could be a tremendous move for the Giants. Hernandez was a fantastic offensive lineman in college and started all 16 games in 2018. Zeitler is a consistent starter with seven years of experience under his belt. Especially with the renaissance of the defensive tackle in recent years, and all the defensive line talent in this NFL Draft class, the Giants pulled the trigger on this move at just the right time.
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Even if New York did lose a good defender in Olivier Vernon, they gained one of the game’s very best interior offensive linemen in Kevin Zeitler. The Giants are finally shoring up their offensive line, and will almost certainly be looking for a quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft. If the Giants can land their franchise guy in April, he’ll certainly be well-protected on the interior when he finally gets the call to start.