Ex-Giants GM Bashed for Cutting Current Playoff Starter at Area of Need

Getty The New York Giants were foolish in releasing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler (right) in 2021.

Former New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman made several roster decisions that set the franchise back years, but one mind-boggling cut is often forgotten.

“Big Blue Banter” podcaster Dan Schneier reminded everyone of this head-scratcher of a move on January 22.

“The Giants are desperate for any kind of consistent OL play [and] should still have Kevin Zeitler but they cut him to create cap space to sign [ex-NFL tight end] Kyle Rudolph,” Schneier said. Adding: “It’s sometimes hard to fathom just how bad of a GM Gettleman was.”

Zeitler signed with the Baltimore Ravens shortly after being released by Big Blue. He’s started 15 times or more in each of his three seasons with the AFC North franchise, and he’ll block for Lamar Jackson in the conference championship game on January 28.

Rudolph, on the other hand, spent one season with the Giants — appearing in 16 games. The veteran tight end caught 26-of-39 targets that year for 257 yards and a touchdown. His impact in New York was minimal, and he later announced his retirement in September of 2023.

Giants Could Use Offensive Lineman Like Ravens’ Kevin Zeitler

The irony here is that the Giants desperately needed a player like Zeitler in 2023.

The long-time NFL guard has been a model of consistency with the Ravens. In fact, Schneier’s entire reference stemmed from a post — by Hayden Winks of Underdog Fantasy — praising the 33-year-old blocker for “12 consecutive seasons with 800+ snaps.”

As Winks noted, Zeitler is the type of player that “gets it done every single year.”

With Baltimore this year, Pro Football Focus credited Zeitler with a superb 81.5 pass protection grade that included just three sacks and 21 quarterback pressures the entire season. The Giants starting right guard, Mark Glowinski, was benched after allowing three sacks and nine QB pressures in Week 1 versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Talk about polar opposites. Zeitler has been a stellar pass-blocker in all three campaigns with the Ravens too, not just this one. His lowest pass protection grade in Baltimore has been a 79.7, and his run-blocking marks have ranged from 62.9 to 68.7 — which is considered somewhere from solid to above average.

Of course, some may argue that Zeitler was worse in New York. Offensive linemen generally benefit from playing inside a strong unit, after all, and the veteran has had much more around him on the Ravens than the Giants.

There’s some truth to that, but even the NYG version of Zeitler was still much more consistent than any current Big Blue OL outside of Andrew Thomas — with help or without it — and his durability would have been huge for this bruised and battered blocking unit in 2023. His release will go down as one of the more shortsighted moves in recent Giants’ history.

Giants Have Decisions to Make on Offensive Line

The Giants only have two blockers that should be set in their positions going into the 2024 season — Thomas and second-year center John Michael Schmitz. Former first-round right tackle Evan Neal is expected to get one last opportunity in year three as well, but he should have a shorter leash than in 2023.

The final two spots are totally up for grabs.

Interior offensive lineman Ben Bredeson is a free agent this March, as are veteran fill-ins Justin Pugh and Tyre Phillips. Former Gettleman draft busts Matt Peart (OT) and Shane Lemieux (IOL) are also expected to walk with their rookie contracts expiring, and reserves like Sean Harlow (G), Wyatt Davis (G) and J.C. Hassenauer (C) need to be re-signed in order to remain in New York.

Not to mention that the aforementioned Glowinski profiles as a likely cap casualty.

Needless to say, this blocking unit could look a whole lot different in 2024. The depth must be improved upon, as well as the remaining starting roles.

The key free agent in terms of playing time would be Bredeson. The 26-year-old appeared in 91.8% of offensive snaps in 2023 according to Over the Cap. It might make sense to bring him back on an affordable deal to either compete for a starting job at guard or slot in as a key backup on the interior.