Big Blue View
James Hudson could be an important player for New York
The best thing that could happen to the New York Giants’ offensive line in 2025 would be for left tackle Andrew Thomas to remain healthy for an entire season, which has not happened since he was a second-team All-Pro in 2022.
Giants’ fans know the history all too well.
In 2023, Thomas suffered a hamstring injury chasing after a blocked field goal at the end of the season’s first drive. He missed seven games, then played much of the rest of the season with a knee injury that limited his effectiveness.
In 2024, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Thomas suffered the dreaded Lisfranc injury, had surgery and missed the rest of the season.
In neither of those seasons did the Giants have a workable backup plan.
In 2023, they kept 2023 third-round pick Matt Peart as the designated swing tackle, but when they needed a replacement for Thomas refused to use him. Instead, they plugged in Josh Ezeudu, a guard who had failed to win a starting job.
That was a disaster. Ezeudu wasn’t up to the task, and that contributed to the Giants’ offensive line falling apart. Quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a neck injury, then a season-ending knee injury while getting pounded game after game. Giants’ quarterbacks ended up getting sacked a ridiculous league-leading 85 times.
The Giants didn’t end up with a better plan in 2024. Originally, New York intended to use Evan Neal at right tackle, Jermaine Eluemunor at right guard and have Eluemunor function as the swing tackle.
When it became clear Neal wouldn’t be ready for the season, they moved Eluemunor to right tackle. They did not, though, pivot and find another swing tackle. That job fell to Ezeudu again.
Thomas, of course, suffered his Week 6 injury and Ezeudu was forced back into the lineup. The Ezeudu at left tackle plan again proved inadequate.
After one disastrous start in Week 7 when he quickly surrendered two sacks, the Giants replaced him with journeyman free agent Chris Hubbard, by trade a right tackle. That didn’t work, either, and Eluemunor was forced to move to that spot.
The Giants appear to have finally relented on their insistence that Ezeudu could be an NFL tackle. This offseason, they signed a pair of veteran swing tackles in James Hudson and Stone Forsythe.
“You always have to prepare for the eventualities,” offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo said during mandatory minicamp. “It’s football.”
It was clear during spring practices that the Giants are counting on Hudson to step in if injuries once again befall Thomas. Hudson took almost all of the first-team left tackle reps in the spring as Thomas continued his off the field rehab program.
The 26-year-old Hudson was a fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2021. He has played in 49 regular-season games with 17 starts. Hudson has significant experience at both tackle spots. In 2024, he was almost exclusively at left tackle, playing 207 snaps there and...
