Giants.com is counting down to the start of 2024 Giants Training Camp with 24 questions in 24 days.
3) Who will be the Giants' Offensive MVP?
Dan Salomone: If quarterback is the most valuable position on the field, then what does that make the left tackle? Last season answered that question. Coming off a second-team All-Pro selection, Andrew Thomas suffered a hamstring injury in the season opener and played in a career-low 10 games because of it.
His absence started a game of musical chairs up front, as Daniel Jones was limited to just six games, also the fewest of his tenure, due to a neck injury and then a torn ACL. The first time the Giants started the same five offensive linemen at the same five positions from the previous game wasn't until Week 11 at Washington. And guess what? They won that game, the next game, and the one after – all while starting the same line, which included Thomas.
"I think anything that could have went wrong out there went wrong from the opening drive of the season when Andrew does his hamstring and then the next week [Ben] Bredeson gets a concussion and then John Michael [Schmitz] has – I mean, you just go on and on," general manager Joe Schoen said over the offseason. "We go to Buffalo, and [Joshua] Ezeudu does his toe, and then [Justin] Pugh straight off the couch … You start going through it. I mean, there was a time there where I think it was Miami, where three practice squad guys were playing for us.
"Fortunately, I've never run into a situation like that before where we've been decimated at the offensive line. You've seen a lot of the signings that we've had, a lot of guys that have played in the league and have started games and have versatility. That's always going to be a priority. It was a little bit of a perfect storm last year unfortunately in terms of injuries and then Andrew re-injuring as he was coming back. Yeah, the offensive line is going to be important. It starts there. I truly believe that. We have to be better up front."
Take a look at rare photos of New York Giants training camps through the years.
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Get excited for the 2024 season with photos from Media Day at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.