Giants' Popular Roster Cut Idea Was Never Going to Happen

Heading into training camp, many wondered if the New York Giants would hold a competition for the starting left guard job given how disappointing Jon Runyan Jr. has been over his first couple of years with the club.

And you know what? Maybe the Giants did enter the summer with the thought that Runyan's job was not entirely guaranteed.

But here were in the latter half of August, and it is becoming abundantly clear that Runyan was never really in much danger.

New York traded away one of Runyan's top "competitors" in Daniel Faalele on Wednesday, reaping a sixth-round draft pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars in return.

There is next to zero chance that Evan Neal is going to beat out Runyan for the starting role, and the Giants seem to prefer to keep Marcus Mbow as a swing tackle.

Rookie offensive lineman J.C. Davis is certainly intriguing, but it was going to take a mammoth training camp from the sixth-round rookie for him to have a chance of earning a job from Day 1.

Runyan is entering the final year of a three-year, $30 million contract he signed with Big Blue back in March 2024. Needless to say, Years 1 and 2 of the deal have not gone according to plan for Runyan, who hasn't been terrible, but also hasn't been great.

As a result, some felt that the 29-year-old could represent a potential cut candidate for the Giants going into 2026. New York would save $9.25 million if it were to release Runyan, and there was some genuine discussion over whether or not he could get usurped.

But we haven't heard anything about Runyan's standing being in jeopardy for well over a month now, and it seems like John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen were never really under the impression that Runyan was a serious cut candidate.

Is the left guard position still a concern for the Giants? Sure. As a matter of fact, the interior of the offensive line is in general.

Much is expected out of rookie right guard Francis Mauigoa, who was a tackle in college but has moved inside for New York. But he is just a first-year player. Then, there is center John Michael Schmitz, who has been pedestrian over his first few seasons, at best.

That being said, the Giants clearly did not see enough of a weakness in the trenches to make any rash decisions this summer.