Look up “endangered species” and pictures of Giants offensive line coaches of the past will not appear, though their head shots would be appropriate examples to use. The professional life expectancy at this spot, with this team is a year-to-year proposition.
Now you see them, now you don’t.
The new guy on the block is Carmen Bricillo. He is the eighth offensive line coach for the Giants in the past 10 years.
Think of what Andrew Thomas has been forced to overcome to rise into the top tier of NFL left tackles.
He has been with the franchise for four seasons and Bricillo is his fifth position coach. Just as Thomas gets settled hearing one voice in his ear that voice is silenced and a different one chimes in.
Annually ranked as one of the league’s worst units, the Giants’ offensive line bottomed out in 2023, allowing a franchise-record 85 sacks. Only the 1986 Eagles ever gave up more in a season, with 104.
It is no wonder co-owner John Mara not long ago said, “You’re right, it’s ridiculous,’’ when asked about the perpetually sorry state of his team’s offensive line.
Joe Judge in 2020 hired Marc Columbo to fix the offensive line, but Columbo got into an emotional confrontation with Judge and did not last the season, with assistant Dave DeGuglielmo taking over.
In 2021, the task was assigned to Rob Sale. Brian Daboll arrived in 2023 and brought Bobby Johnson with him from Buffalo.
The personable Johnson could not survive last year’s swoon, and Daboll jettisoned one of his coaching buddies.
The next at-bat belongs to the 47-year old Bricillo, an NFL assistant coach since 2019, in charge of the offensive lines with the Patriots (2020-21, where he got to learn from legendary offensive line guru Dante Scarnecchia) and Raiders (2022-23).
Bricillo knows what he is getting into but is not harping on last year’s historically bad performance with players he is just now getting to know.
“We live in a glass house at this position, so no,’’ Bricillo said. “There are things we want to improve on as a group. Truly it’s a clean slate. We’re looking at moving forward and what can we do to do that.’’
The way the Giants are lining up this spring, there will be three returning starters and two newcomers — free-agent signings Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor.
Thomas is an anchor at left tackle, Runyan is playing right guard, Eluemunor is at left guard and Evan Neal is getting another crack at right tackle. John Michael Schmitz returns for his second season at center.
Runyan, 26, started at left guard for the Packers in 2023, and Eluemunor, 29, was the Raiders starting right tackle the past two years. Bricillo broke out into a big smile when discussing Eluemunor, as the two were together the past two years in Las Vegas.
“They help me out,’’ Schmitz said of Runyan and Eluemunor on either side of him. “They help me understand certain situations, what to be aware of, what they’re seeing on film. It can be a different view of what I’m seeing because they’ve had more experience.’’
Third-year Josh Ezeudu is working at guard and tackle. Juggling the starting group is fine for now.
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“I’d say for me, as we get later into training camp if we’re not really set you might see me a little worried,’’ Bricillo said.
The 2023 Raiders under Bricillo allowed 40 sacks — just 11 teams gave up fewer — and were ninth in the league in sacks allowed in 2022 with 35. The Giants would kill for those numbers.
“I think Carm is a teacher, a good coach, a good teammate,’’ Daboll said. “He has a good understanding of how we do things. He’s made certain adjustments, too, to try to improve where we’re at.’’
Also new on the scene is James Ferentz, hired as the assistant offensive line coach. Ferentz recently retired after an eight-year NFL career and was with Bricillo in New England.
The make-or-break player in the group is Neal, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft.
The 6-foot-7, 340-pound colossus endured an uneven indoctrination in his 13 starts as a rookie and regressed in 2023 in his seven games before requiring ankle surgery.
Neal is headed to “bust’’ status and needs a dramatic reversal of fortune.
The Giants are keeping Neal at right tackle — there is no plan right now to move him inside to guard. If he cannot cut it, Eluemunor can slide in to start at right tackle.
Bricillo called the offensive line “a developmental position to begin with’’ and, referring to Neal, mentioned something he once heard former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel say about judging players.
“One of the things he always said was, ‘Don’t judge a player when they’re young, and don’t judge a player when they’re injured,’ ” Bricillo said. “That’s something that I think I take into the forefront in looking at the situation.’’
Bricillo said there is “a lot to like’’ with his group. How that assessment holds up figures to determine a great deal about this season.