Getty New York Giants beef up their o-line
The New York Giants continue their weekend of wheeling and dealing with yet another addition to the roster.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan has reported that in conjunction with the planned signings of cornerback Ross Cockrell and wideout Cody White, the G-Men will also be signing ex-Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle, Jackson Dennis.
Dennis Has the Size & Production to Intrigue
Dennis, an undrafted free agent, with impressive measurables checking in at a towering 6-foot-7-inches and 307-pounds, signed with the Cardinals following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, he was recently waived on July 26 as Arizona trimmed down their roster to 80 players.
The offensive tackle spent five years at Holy Cross after receiving a medical redshirt back in 2016. Dennis made 23 of his 24 career starts over his final two seasons at Holy Cross, yet it was in 2019 where he truly took his game to new heights in 2019. Dennis, a redshirt senior at the time, was named to Phil Steele’s All-Patriot League second team after the starting right tackle helped anchor a rushing attack that averaged nearly 140-yards per game and scored 18 rushing touchdowns on the year.
Dennis was a major component in the Crusaders’ Patriot League title and aiding in their advancement to the FCS College Football Playoffs last season.
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Giants’ Offensive Line Beginning to Take Form
The cornerback position has quickly catapulted itself to the top of Big Blue’s list of biggest needs in recent days. This, thanks in large part to DeAndre Baker having been formally charged on four counts of robbery with a firearm and fellow cornerback Sam Beal’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season.
With that said, there still remains plenty of question marks along the Giants’ offensive line, namely at offensive tackle, following Nate Solder’s decision to sit out this coming season.
In New York, Dennis now joins a group of talented, yet young offensive tackles pressed with the crucial task of protecting the team’s perceived franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones.
Fourth-overall draft pick, Andrew Thomas, will more than likely man the void left behind by Solder at left tackle. Opposite Thomas, we can likely expect a two-man competition between veteran free-agent addition Cam Fleming and the highly-intriguing Matt Peart for the right to nail down the starting gig on the right side.
While Dennis will almost certainly not be in contention for a starting job, he will battle the likes of Chad Slade, Eric Smith and Tyler Haycraft for one of New York’s reserve tackle positions during camp.
Should Dennis, or any of the aforementioned reserve candidates for that matter, prove capable of manning the backup tackle position, it would in return allow Big Blue to be much more flexible with their offensive line unit as a whole.
Head coach Joe Judge has noted that the versatile Nick Gates is “a guy that can factor in any of the five positions on the offensive line” including offensive tackle. However, more than likely the Giants would prefer Gates stake claim to the starting center position, while Fleming may be best suited as a swing tackle rather than a starter moving forward.