Fix the offensive line? Giants are struggling just to field one

To say that the New York Giants’ offensive line is in a state of flux is a massive understatement. Is there, though, a better word in the English language? At least a printable one?

The Giants beleaguered offensive line has given up a league-worst 30 sacks through five games. At that pace, they would give up 102 sacks, joining the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles as the only teams to surrender more than 100 sacks in a season.

Things do not appear to be getting any better. Or, even to be settling down.

Star left tackle Andrew Thomas, out since Week 1 with a hamstring injury, missed practice again on Wednesday and is likely heading for a fifth straight missed game.

Starting center John Michael Schmitz did not practice Wednesday, a sign that he could miss a second straight game.

Backup tackle Matt Peart missed practice with a shoulder injury. Coach Brian Daboll called him “day-to-day.” Peart might have been an option to replace the struggling Josh Ezeudu at left tackle. That seems unlikely now.

The healthy Giants’ offensive linemen are as follows:

Ezeudu
Mark Glowinski
Ben Bredeson
Marcus McKethan (who left Sunday’s game with a knee injury but was said by Daboll to be “OK.”)
Evan Neal
Shane Lemieux

That’s six.

There are four offensive lineman on the practice squad:

Justin Pugh
Jalen Mayfield
Jaylon Thomas
Yodny Cajuste (Cajuste was officially signed on Wednesday morning)

Daboll said the Giants would work out offensive tackle La’el Collins after practice on Wednesday. As BBV’s Rivka Boord pointed out on Tuesday, the question with Collins is whether or not he is physically ready less than 10 months after surgery for a torn ACL.

The Giants, obviously, need better offensive line play than they have been getting. Daboll couldn’t say on Wednesday whether there would be changes from the Ezeudu-Glowinski-Bredeson-McKethan-Neal offensive line that started in Week 5 against the Dolphins.

Daboll wouldn’t rule out Pugh, or even the newly-signed Cajuste, playing against the Bills.

“Depends on who’s ready to go,” he said. “Anything’s on the table relative to what happens or transpires the next couple of days with the guys that are not practicing.”