This offseason, the New York Giants must bolster their offensive line with talent. They might go after an experienced free agent to reunite with their new assistant coach after just appointing a new coach to head the team.
Carmen Bricillo was just appointed as the Giants’ new offensive line coach. Bricillo joins from the Las Vegas Raiders, where he spent the previous two seasons in the same role. Veteran right guard Greg Van Roten had a developmental breakthrough under Bricillo’s guidance, which may lead him to rejoin his mentor in New York during the offseason.
With a 75.3 overall grade for the Raiders, Van Roten was the seventh-highest graded guard in the NFL this season, per Pro Football Focus. Throughout his 17 starts this season, he only gave up five sacks and 21 total pressures.
Van Roten has been a journeyman his whole career, moving as a backup interior offensive lineman between teams. Between 2020 and 2021, he was a starter on the offensive line for the New York Jets. However, due to his poor performances, he lost his job and joined the Buffalo Bills as a depth player in 2022.
Van Roten, however, had the best season of his career in 2023 after being signed by the Raiders to be one of their five starters. In nine seasons as an offensive tackle, Van Roten, 33, has never really shown to be a reliable starter. Bricillo was able to extract the best performance out of him.
Van Roten will once again be a free agent this offseason after performing well on a one-year contract with Las Vegas. Last year, he inked a one-year contract for a meagre $1.6 million, and this offseason, he’ll probably sign a similar one. Van Roten may be a target for the Giants in 2024 on a cheap, short-term deal as a starting or depth player.
The Giants may seek Van Roten and a couple more Raiders offensive linemen in the spring. This offseason, they could also want to think about getting Bricillo back together with offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor. Eluemunor and Van Roten joining the Giants’ offensive line would provide Bricillo some well-known teammates to work with as he adjusts to his new role with Big Blue.
