Should the Giants be worried about their offensive line?

As the New York Giants offensive line is currently constructed, this team will have a tough time making the playoffs.

It was an unacceptably bad performance from the offensive line on Friday night in the Giants preseason opener, the unit doing a terrible job of protecting Ryan Nassib. That the unit was this bad after the amount of money that the Giants threw around this offseason is unacceptable. The offensive line is far and away the weakest link on this team and yet they did nothing to address the situation.

The Giants had the opportunity to bring in some help along the line, instead using nearly the entirety of their $200 million spending spree on the defensive side of the ball. The defense needed help, worst in the league last season and worst against the pass. But to completely ignore the offensive line was unacceptable and might keep this team once again out of the playoffs.

Nassib was hurried and hit a number of times by the Miami Dolphins, who had a total of four sacks in the game. Coach Ben McAdoo said on a conference call on Saturday that Nassib “didn’t always have clean protection.”

That was an understatement.

“Our blocking fundamentals and physicality and pass protecting needs to improve. We weren’t firm up inside the pocket, especially when the second group got in there, we need to firm that up. We need to cut out the pre-snap penalties.”

Yet despite the struggles of the offensive line, the Giants seem content with the group they currently have, unwilling at least publicly to sound like a team ready to hit the open market for some alternatives.

In free agency they refused to give Russell Okung the left tackle spot, opening the door for him to sign with the Denver Broncos. They also didn’t take Laremy Tunsil when he tumbled in the NFL Draft, instead going for another cornerback.

Meanwhile across town, the New York Jets lost their starting left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and replaced him via a trade with Ryan Clady, a Pro Bowl tackle.

“I think that we have guys who we feel can compete at a high level,” McAdoo said. “They had a bad night in pass protection last night, they played better in the run game than they did in pass protection and we need to put the pads on and get back to work. That is what I see.”