This offseason, the New York Giants’ front office made it a priority to improve their offensive line. Instead of building the offensive line through the draft, which the Giants have done in previous years, they addressed the unit via free agency.
General manager Joe Schoen added both Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor — two new inside starters.
Early in training camp, the Giants offensive line has their hands full going up against the defensive line which includes Dexter Lawrence.
In a short amount of time, Runyan is already seeing the top-end talent Lawrence has become.
“Yeah. I thought going against Dexter twice in four years was enough and now I got to deal with it every day. It’s good. It’s only going to make you better,” Runyan told reporters on Friday. “You know, like they say, iron sharpens iron. If you’re lacking on any technique, your hands miss, or you’re too high, he’s going to expose you immediately. So, every single play with him, you got to bring a hundred percent and you got to be locked in and focused.
“It’s only going to make me and everybody else better being able to go against somebody like that. One of the best D-tackles in the NFL. I think he has the capability (of being) one of being the best of all time.”
Like many others around the league, Runyan is amazed by the big man’s athleticism and quickness.
“He moves so well for being whatever weight he’s at and how big he is,” he said. “It’s just really awesome being able to work together with him and make each other better and build this offensive and defensive line, because I feel like that’s going to be the heartbeat of this team, how well we control the line of scrimmage. Being able to work with him is a real blessing.”
Although the Giants expected big things from Lawrence — enough to spend a first-round pick on him in 2019 — nobody tabbed him to be as good as he has been the last two seasons.
The pick used to select Lawrence was part of the infamous Odell Beckham trade, which the Giants have clearly won at this point given Lawrence’s stardom.
With Kayvon Thibodeaux and newly acquired Brian Burns along the edge, Lawrence may be primed for this best season of his career. And that’s saying something.
