New York Giants prepared to make run at top free agent guards

NFL free agency begins on Monday when the legal tampering window opens. Teams will be permitted to “contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents” when the league new year starts at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

The New York Giants, with cap space projected in the neighborhood of $40 million, will be seeking to augment their offensive line, especially at the guard position.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports that they will target top-of-the-market guards.

The Giants are about to invest in the offensive line, particularly the guard position, where they don’t have a penciled-in starter on either side. The door is still open for a return for veterans Ben Bredeson or Justin Pugh, but first, the Giants are expected to make a run at the top guards on the market, according to multiple sources.

Among the primary names to monitor: Robert Hunt, Jonah Jackson and Mike Onwenu. Signing any of them will be costly, with Hunt’s contract potentially topping out near $16 million per year.

The Giants have a new offensive line coach — Carmen Bricillo — who could coax general manager Joe Schoen into taking a look at one of his former Las Vegas Raiders offensive linemen, Jermaine Eluemunor.

The Giants finished the season with Bredeson and Pugh as their starters at guard. They were clearly outmanned on most snaps. They recently cut ties with another disappointing free agent in Mark Glowinski but still have a pair of promising former North Carolina Tar Heels in Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan, but they have both been besieged by injuries in their first two seasons.

The free agent route at guard seems to be the best one to find a quick fix/upgrade to the position. The draft is another avenue Joe Scheon will likely explore to augment the unit.