Ex-Giant Kevin Zeitler helps newcomer Ben Bredeson get acclimated
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
When he heard he was being traded to the Giants this past week, one of the first people offensive lineman Ben Bredeson reached out to was Kevin Zeitler. They had been teammates on the Ravens this preseason.
"Kevin kind of gave me the quick rundown," Bredeson said of Zeitler’s take on the Giants, the team he played with for two seasons. "We’ve been texting the last few days. He’s a great guy."
The connection between the two goes much deeper than just former teammates, though. It’s one of those strange symbiotic relationships that often occur in NFL personnel moves.
Had the Giants not released Zeitler this offseason, he would not have been able to sign with the Ravens as a free agent. Had the Ravens not signed Zeitler, Bredeson might have been one of their starting guards. Had Bredeson been one of their starting guards, he wouldn’t have been dealt to the Giants. Had the Giants not released Zeitler, they might not have needed Bredeson.
Round and round we go.
However it happened, Bredeson is now where Zeitler was and Zeitler where Bredeson was.
"We live pretty close to each other back in Wisconsin, so I’ve known him," Bredeson said. "I grew up in like the shadow of Kevin the whole time because he was a big deal in my hometown (of Hartland, Wisconsin). Now we’re great friends, peers, and having him be able to help me while we were in Baltimore together for a little bit and now help me in this transition to New York, I can’t say enough great things about him."
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones lines up behind offensive guard Kevin Zeitler during the first half at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 16, 2019. Credit: Daniel De Mato
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.
