Giants address offensive line again with trade for guard Ben Bredeson
Ben Bredeson #67 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on during training camp at Under Armour Performance Center Baltimore Ravens on July 28, 2021 in Owings Mills, Maryland. Credit: Getty Images/Scott Taetsch
Another day, another Giants trade for an interior offensive lineman.
On Tuesday, as teams whittled their rosters down to the 53-man limit, the team acquired Ben Bredeson from the Ravens. The Giants also received a fifth-round pick in 2022 and a seventh-rounder in 2023, all in exchange for their fourth-round pick in 2022.
The swap came a day after the Giants sent defensive tackle B.J. Hill to the Bengals for Billy Price.
"I think both guys have upside to work with and potential to improve our team," Joe Judge said of the new players.
The Giants had been looking to upgrade their depth on the line all summer and brought in a few veteran players throughout training camp to try to address that area. One of those mid-camp additions, veteran Ted Larsen, was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Tuesday. Veteran offensive lineman Chad Slade, Jonotthan Harrison and Kenny Wiggins were released and Jackson Barton, Jake Burton and Brett Heggie were waived.
Price was a first-round pick for the Bengals. Bredeson was a fourth-rounder for the Ravens from the University of Michigan last year. He appeared in 10 games without any starts for the Ravens in 2020. Bredeson likely was to be released by the Ravens after seeing reps with the second- and third-teams throughout their training camp and because the Ravens bolstered their offensive line in the offseason including the acquisition of former Giants guard Kevin Zeitler.
The Giants’ offensive line has been heavily scrutinized since an unimpressive performance in the preseason finale on Sunday.
"We have work to do," guard Will Hernandez said of the unit. "We always want to get better. Even if they said we were the best offensive line in the NFL I would give you the same response. We need to get better."
Notes & quotes: DT Raymond Johnson III was the only undrafted rookie to make the Giants’ initial 53-man roster. He had an impressive training camp and wears number 91. Yes, he said he grew up in South Carolina a fan of the Giants and Justin Tuck . . . The Giants can finalize their practice squad as of noon on Wednesday and plan to push their practice deeper into the afternoon so they can have more bodies on the field for the workout.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
