Giants Could End Up With a Surprising Starter at a Critical Position

The New York Giants have made it abundantly clear that Jon Runyan Jr. will be the starting left guard for the team come Week 1, as he has not been threatened in training camp, and the Giants just traded away his top competitor in Daniel Faalele.

Runyan signed a three-year, $30 million contract with New York in March 2024, but has been a significant disappointment over his first two seasons. That has led some to believe that his job could be in danger heading into 2026.

However, it doesn't appear that the Giants have any intention of removing Runyan from the starting lineup. At least not before the season opener.

That doesn't mean that New York isn't weighing potential alternatives should Runyan falter, and one possible option is Aaron Stinnie.

The Giants trading Faalele was a big win for Stinnie, who has played in 33 games with three starts for Big Blue over the last couple of seasons.

Stinnie isn't a world-beater by any means, and New York really likes his versatility on the interior. No, Stinnie can't play tackle, but he is capable of playing all three positions on the inside, which is certainly valuable.

So let's say Runyan underwhelms yet again this fall. Would the Giants consider making a change?

New York has several possible replacements for Runyan on its roster, Stinnie being one of them. Swing tackle Marcus Mbow and rookie tackle J.C. Davis comprise other options, but the Giants seem like they would prefer to keep Mbow on the outside, and while Davis has been impressive, they may not want to throw a sixth-round pick into immediate fire.

That leaves Stinnie as the most likely candidate to replace Runyan, unless John Harbaugh, for some reason, decides to hand Evan Neal a roster spot and let him compete for a job.

Of course, no Giants fan should want this scenario to occur, because that would mean that Runyan isn't getting it done. New York could have saved $9.25 million by cutting Runyan this offseason, so it would be viewed as a missed financial opportunity if the 29-year-old comes in and lays an egg.

But if Runyan does underperform, Stinnie could very well be installed as a starting left guard for the Giants at some point this season.