ESPN points out glaring hole on Giants roster, and they are running out of options to fix it at this point of the offseason
The Giants signed Lucas Patrick in free agency, but former second-round pick John Michael Schmitz is still slated to start at center in New York.
It has been an intense offseason for the New York Giants. From hiring John Harbaugh to adding a lot of pieces to the roster, the team will look very different in 2026. Nevertheless, center is still a major issue — and it’s hard to solve the situation after the first wave of free agency and the draft.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz made a list of the biggest needs for each NFL team after the draft, and it’s not a surprise that center is the one for New York.
Aaron Schatz points out what the Giants could and couldn’t do
“Now that the Giants have signed Shelby Harris and DJ Reader to fill holes along the defensive front, they don’t have any glaring holes in the starting lineup. However, they do have weaknesses, and one of them is John Michael Schmitz Jr., who has never quite lived up to his second-round draft potential in the center of the offensive line.
“Last year, Schmitz ranked 23rd among starting centers with a 94.1% pass block win rate and 27th with a 65.1% run block win rate. The Giants brought in veteran Lucas Patrick to back up Schmitz, but Patrick played in only six games for the Bengals last season, partly due to a calf injury, and will be 33 years old this season.” — Aaron Schatz.
Position outlook
John Michael Schmitz was the Giants’ primary center last season, playing 788 offensive snaps. As Schatz mentioned, his performance was average at best — he allowed 14 pressures, with a 60.9 pass-block grade via PFF.
Austin Schlottmann played 362 snaps and was more efficient, but he signed a two-year deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. So to replace him, the Giants added Lucas Patrick. The veteran has played 2,009 snaps at center throughout his NFL career for the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and Cincinnati Bengals. His versatility to play both center and guard is the main reason why the Giants picked him up.
However, Patrick has never been a high-level NFL player — and he barely saw the field last year for the Bengals, and when he did it was at guard.
Looking at the available options in free agency, the best option is probably James Daniels. He missed most of last season with a pec injury and was released by the Miami Dolphins back in February.
The Giants worked hard to address several positions on the roster. Ultimately, though, it was hard to entirely adjust the roster in just one offseason. This is a multi-year process, and at least the most glaring hole is not necessarily a premium spot.