The question of who will start at right guard for the New York Giants was likely answered on Wednesday when the Giants signed Daniel Faalele to a one-year contract.
Faalele spent the last two seasons starting at that spot for the Baltimore Ravens, where current Giants head coach John Harbaugh was employed. Maybe this will change because of the draft, or because of a surprising development in training camp, but if the Giants had to play a game now it’s hard to see anyone other than Faalele lining up
at right guard.
According to the scathing review below of Faalele’s play in Baltimore, and Harbaugh’s stubborn allegiance to the 6-foot-8, 370-pounder, from Nikhil Mehta of SB Nation’s Baltimore Beatdown, Faalele’s arrival might not be a positive development for New York.
Mehta wrote:
It’s safe to say Ravens fans will not miss Daniel Faalele. The 2022 fourth-rounder was seen as a high-upside prospect when he was drafted but never developed into a starting-caliber player. After serving as a swing tackle in his first two years, the team made him their starting right guard in 2024. He struggled at first but showed clear signs of improvements by the end of the year.
That progress had seemingly evaporated by the start of the 2025 season, and unlike the year before, he did not take meaningful steps forward as the weeks wore on. Despite that, the Ravens never seemed to consider a change. You could make an argument that the coaching staff’s stubbornness about Faalele – a clear liability to most with the ability of sight – was one of the reasons for John Harbaugh’s downfall in Baltimore.
The fact that no team – not even the ones now coached by his last head coach and offensive coordinator – signed Faalele for a month speaks volumes. If he wins the Giants’ starting right guard job, their offensive line is in bad shape. It would also be a worrying sign that some of the issues that led to Harbaugh’s exit from Baltimore have followed him to New York.
Here is what an NFL source told Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post regarding Faalele:
Offensive depth chart
Below, a look at the Giants’ current offensive depth chart.
You can see that the offensive line has filled out quite a bit. Also, the fact that Josh Ezeudu is shown as a potential four-position backup tells you when Harbaugh is interested in taking a look at him. There aren’t a lot of those players to be found.
