Getty Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants celebrates his touchdown throw to Bennie Fowler #18 with Nate Solder #76 of the New York Giants.
Nate Solder turned some heads this offseason when he recommitted to playing football after opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to family health issues. The 33-year-old even took a $7 million pay cut for the incoming season to better help solidify his placement on the roster.
However, just because the two-time Super Bowl Champion would like to return to the gridiron doesn’t make him a surefire-lock for the New York Giants‘ 2021 roster. In fact, between being a year removed from taking an NFL snap, and also likely headed for both a position switch and a competition with up-and-comer Matt Peart, nothing seems quite guaranteed for the veteran offensive tackle as he heads into training camp — so much so that ESPN’s Jordan Raanan believes Solder is “in danger” of being cut.
“Solder opted out last year and didn’t play particularly well the two years prior. And now it has been 18 months since the veteran offensive tackle has been in a full-contact practice or game,” Raanan wrote. “Who is to say his body can hold up at 33 years old after more than a year off? Or that he’s willing to go through the full grind to potentially be a backup for the first time since he was a freshman at Colorado? Only time will tell. Solder is competing this summer not only for the starting right tackle job with Matt Peart, but also a roster spot.”
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Potentially Transitioning to Right Tackle and/or a Backup
It’s tough to argue with the narrative that Solder has underperformed since being grossly overpaid by Dave Gettleman during the GM’s first offseason on the job. The Giants inked Solder to a deal worth nearly $35 million guaranteed prior to the 2018 season, a decision that — even at the time — looked like a miscalculation on the organization’s behalf.
With that said, a sizeable pay cut may better help put Solder’s play into perspective. Is he the elite offensive tackle the Giants originally paid him to be? No. He’s clearly been on a downward trajectory ever since a stellar showing with the New England Patriots in 2016 where he earned an 85.8 overall Pro Football Focus grade.
Yet, over his two seasons with the Giants, he’s been more serviceable than some would like to give him credit for, averaging a 70.3 overall PFF mark since 2018. To put that number in perspective, the Giants’ most-used five-man offensive line rotation last season combined for an average PFF grade of just 55.7, with no player exceeding a mark of 65.9. Now, swap out Cam Fleming for Zach Fulton, who allowed the most sacks by an NFL guard a season ago (11), and you essentially have the Giants’ 2021 o-line rotation.
Of course, Solder’s regression could have accelerated in his year away from the game, but on the surface, he should at least be capable of competing for a starting job this season. Thing is, will he be given a legitimate opportunity to do so?
Solder on Switching Positions
Yes, head coach Joe Judge always preaches competition. Yet, the fact of the matter is Andrew Thomas is entrenched as the team’s starter at left tackle — a position Solder has played over his last 114 career starts. With Ranaan noting on ESPN’s Carlin Show back in April that a move to right guard appears to be off the table, a switch to right tackle seems inevitable for Solder.
“Some things translate over; some things you have to re-adjust your thinking,” Solder said of potentially switching positions prior to the team drafting Thomas, via the New York Post. “It’s kind of like a right-handed person trying to write left-handed. You are not going to be as fluid and natural at it, but you can train yourself. You can do well and be successful.”
While the switch may be daunting, Solder is an athlete who’s proven capable of changing positions in the past. In his first two seasons at the University of Colorado, he played tight end before moving to left tackle. Taken by the Patriots in the first round of the 2011 draft, Solder manned the right tackle spot before flipping over to the left side the following season.
Unfortunately for Solder, a youth movement in New York may ultimately strip the veteran from making a legitimate push for a starting gig. Peart is ideally the preferred in-house candidate to lock down the right tackle position, as he makes up one-half of what the Giants hope to be a premier offensive tackle duo alongside Thomas for years to come. If the UConn product proves ready for the bright lights, expect Big Blue to toss him into the fire, likely delegating Solder to a backup role. The good news, Solder seems like a player that would take such a demotion on the chin and keep on trucking along.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to be successful on this team,” he told the Post prior to opting out. “If they ask me to spin a hula hoop around my head, I’ll do that.”
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