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One of the primary competitions to monitor in New York Giants training camp is left guard, which will likely be a three-man race between Jon Runyan Jr., Evan Neal and Daniel Faalele.
Runyan signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Giants in March 2024 and has not lived up to expectations. If there is a weak link along New York's offensive line right now, he is it, and the Giants would stand to save $9.25 million by cutting him.
The problem is that the other contestants aren't blowing anyone away.
Neal is a former first-round bust who didn't even play in 2025. In fact, he is most known for mocking booing fans back in 2023. However, New York surprisingly re-signed him this offseason, giving him one last chance to prove himself.
The University of Alabama product came into the league as a tackle, but moved inside when it became apparent that he couldn't handle the position.
Then, there is Faalele, the 6-foot-8, 370-pound behemoth who spent four years playing for John Harbaugh in Baltimore and has now followed the head coach to the Big Apple.
A former fourth-round pick, Faalele entered the league with the Ravens in 2022 and came off the bench his first two seasons before landing a starting tackle job in 2024. Like Neal, he couldn't handle the tackle position and moved to guard in 2025, where he started all 17 games and was subpar, to say the least.
Daniel Faalele. Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images.
In fact, there are lowlight reels that exist of Faalele failing to block anyone and aimlessly spinning around trying to locate defenders.
You would think that Faalele would be a nasty mauler given his sheer size, but his lack of quickness and lateral movement is a major concern, and his shaky balance sometimes leaves him susceptible to bull rushes.
There is a reason why Faalele was so readily available for the Giants to sign in April, a month after free agency had already began. The fact that he is a mountain of a man makes him intriguing, but his actual production is below average, to say the least.
So, does Faalele legitimately have a chance of winning the starting left guard job?
Runyan is clearly the favorite, but he isn't exactly Harbaugh's type of lineman. The 28-year-old relies more on craftiness rather than brute strength, and given how much Harbaugh likes to establish the run in a ground-and-pound effort, Runyan's forte doesn't really cut it for the Super Bowl-winning coach.
That's why Harbaugh signed the massive Faalele and also why he elected to re-sign Neal, who also possesses tremendous size at 6-foot-7, 340 pounds.
Unfortunately, neither player is any good.
The Giants drafted Francis Mauigoa to handle the right guard position, so they should be set there. But left guard could be an issue for Big Blue, and it seems highly doubtful that Faalele will be the man to save it.
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Runyan signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Giants in March 2024 and has not lived up to expectations. If there is a weak link along New York's offensive line right now, he is it, and the Giants would stand to save $9.25 million by cutting him.
The problem is that the other contestants aren't blowing anyone away.
Neal is a former first-round bust who didn't even play in 2025. In fact, he is most known for mocking booing fans back in 2023. However, New York surprisingly re-signed him this offseason, giving him one last chance to prove himself.
The University of Alabama product came into the league as a tackle, but moved inside when it became apparent that he couldn't handle the position.
Then, there is Faalele, the 6-foot-8, 370-pound behemoth who spent four years playing for John Harbaugh in Baltimore and has now followed the head coach to the Big Apple.
A former fourth-round pick, Faalele entered the league with the Ravens in 2022 and came off the bench his first two seasons before landing a starting tackle job in 2024. Like Neal, he couldn't handle the tackle position and moved to guard in 2025, where he started all 17 games and was subpar, to say the least.
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Daniel Faalele. Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images.
In fact, there are lowlight reels that exist of Faalele failing to block anyone and aimlessly spinning around trying to locate defenders.
You would think that Faalele would be a nasty mauler given his sheer size, but his lack of quickness and lateral movement is a major concern, and his shaky balance sometimes leaves him susceptible to bull rushes.
There is a reason why Faalele was so readily available for the Giants to sign in April, a month after free agency had already began. The fact that he is a mountain of a man makes him intriguing, but his actual production is below average, to say the least.
So, does Faalele legitimately have a chance of winning the starting left guard job?
Runyan is clearly the favorite, but he isn't exactly Harbaugh's type of lineman. The 28-year-old relies more on craftiness rather than brute strength, and given how much Harbaugh likes to establish the run in a ground-and-pound effort, Runyan's forte doesn't really cut it for the Super Bowl-winning coach.
That's why Harbaugh signed the massive Faalele and also why he elected to re-sign Neal, who also possesses tremendous size at 6-foot-7, 340 pounds.
Unfortunately, neither player is any good.
The Giants drafted Francis Mauigoa to handle the right guard position, so they should be set there. But left guard could be an issue for Big Blue, and it seems highly doubtful that Faalele will be the man to save it.
NY Giants Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Giants. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
