An ailing left knee will sideline starting left guard Shane Lemieux for multiple games. With Lemieux placed on injured reserve, where he will miss at least three games, the Giants will roll out a newly configured offensive line, Thursday night against the Washington.
The Giants will move Nick Gates from center to left guard and insert Billy Price at center, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Bengals on August 30 for defensive lineman B.J. Hill.
To replace Lemieux on the 53-man roster, the Giants signed offensive lineman Matt Skura off their practice squad.
So Gates slides over from center to left guard, Price starts at center, and Ben Bredeson will be in the backup role.
When news of Lemieux missing time began to leak, I wrote my concerns on making a move in this direction. An alternate route the Giants could’ve taken would’ve starting Bredeson at left guard. And, at least for this week, keep Gates at center. Because with ten days before the next game, there’s at least more time to prep and pivot.
Thursday night’s matchup with the Washington Football Team is a quick turnaround from Sunday’s season-opening loss to Denver. There’s been very little practice time for the Giants, with the exception of a couple of walk-throughs. Wednesday was the team’s travel day. Moreover, Gates, despite having the versatility to slide over to left guard, has established continuity at center with quarterback Daniel Jones.
It’s no knock on Billy Price, he’s a solid run-blocker and a 2018 first-round pick out of Ohio State. So, Price can ball.
But is it wise to have this much movement on an O-line that’s still a work in progress?
It’s a big roll of the dice by Giants head coach Joe Judge.
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