The Giants made a quiet but telling choice behind John Michael Schmitz this summer, and it points straight back to what they think of their starting center.
Instead of keeping Lucas Patrick, the veteran with 113 career games and 65 starts, New York went with Bryan Hudson as Schmitz’s backup. On the surface, it looks like a small roster call. In reality, it reads like a pretty strong show of faith in the 25-year-old Schmitz from new head coach John Harbaugh.
That’s because Hudson is the less proven option by a wide margin. He has just two career games and no starts, which is a pretty thin resume for a team protecting a starter who has already had trouble staying on the field. Schmitz has missed nine games over his first three seasons, with at least two missed in every year, so the backup center spot was never going to be a throwaway decision.
Hudson’s path to New York has been a winding one. He went undrafted out of Louisville in 2024, signed with the Detroit Lions in May, didn’t make their 53-man roster, and then landed on the New England Patriots’ practice squad after clearing waivers.
He stayed there until November before being released, then eventually caught on with the Giants on a futures deal for the 2025 season. From there, he moved back and forth between the practice squad and active roster and appeared in just two games.
On paper, Patrick had the stronger offseason. The 33-year-old finished the preseason with an 80.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, along with a 69.7 pass-blocking grade and an 81.6 run-blocking mark. Hudson, meanwhile, posted a 68.3 overall grade, including a 63.6 in pass protection and a 68.1 in run blocking.
So the Giants didn’t choose Hudson because he clearly outplayed Patrick. They chose him anyway.
That’s why this decision stands out. Hudson is younger by about eight years and doesn’t bring the same injury history, and that likely mattered for a team trying to keep the center spot covered if Schmitz misses time again.
Even with that logic, it’s still a gamble. Hudson is unproven, and Patrick was the more accomplished player throughout the summer. But the bigger message here seems aimed at Schmitz, not the backups around him.
He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract after three seasons that haven’t gone the way the Giants hoped when they took him in the second round of the 2023 Draft. Harbaugh and his staff had the full offseason to work with him, and by building the roster this way, the Giants are signaling they expect more from him in Year 4.
Maybe this is the season Schmitz finally puts it together. The Giants sure are acting like they’re counting on it.
In Other News...
Giants New Pecking Order Is Already Turning Into A Real Camp Story
A fresh training camp approach has already started to show up on the Giants roster, with John Harbaugh and his staff giving opportunities to both familiar faces and players with no prior connection to him. The result is a group being judged less by old ties and more by how they fit what the coaches want, which is exactly the kind of reset that can change the tone of camp before the first full pads practice even settles in.
That shift has kept several key names in the mix, including Kayvon Thibodeaux and Deonte Banks, while also bringing in a few notable changes around the edges of the roster. Veteran lineman Daniel Faalele was dealt away, Najee Harris joined the backfield picture, and the bigger question now is how much this new pecking order will keep evolving once the competition really starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Week 1 Depth Chart Just Raised Big Questions Before Cowboys
The Giants unofficial Week 1 depth chart offered an early look at how Brian Dabolls staff plans to line up against the Cowboys, and it came with a few notable wrinkles. Deonte Banks is now listed as a starting cornerback next to Greg Newsome II after moving up the chart, while Chauncey Golston is shown as the starting defensive end with Darius Alexander behind him. Cam Skattebo also appears as the starting running back, with several others stacked behind him, giving the backfield a layered look heading into the opener.
One of the more interesting details is what the Giants left off the chart altogether: there is no primary slot receiver listed, a sign they may rotate multiple players through that role. Depth charts this early can still shift before kickoff, but they can also hint at how a coaching staff sees its personnel after camp and the preseason. For a Giants team trying to settle key spots before facing Dallas, the chart raised as many questions as it answered. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Just Answered A Growing Concern On Their Defensive Line
The Giants added some needed experience up front by signing veteran defensive tackle Dean Lowry, a 32-year-old who has spent time with both the Packers and Steelers. He is expected to begin on the practice squad, but the move gives New York another seasoned body in a defensive line group that has been looking for more reliable depth and a steadier presence around the younger tackles.
Lowrys appeal is as much about what he can bring off the field as what he can do on it. The Giants view him as a versatile piece who can help against the run and offer the kind of leadership that can speed up the development of younger players, and in a room that has been under scrutiny, that sort of addition can matter as the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]