Bengals may lose out on Thuney; Thuney is intrigued by the Ravens

[Burma]

NJ.com had an interesting article about possible replacements for Zeitler. It compares the top free agent guards available to Zeitler and offers some good info that relates to what is being discused here.

https://www.nj.com/giants/2021/03/stacking-giants-kevin-zeitler-against-possible-free-agency-replacements-and-why-cutting-him-is-not-a-simple-decision.html

Quote:Joe Thuney (Patriots): Thuney would serve as an upgrade over Zeitler, sure, but not quite a significant one. He is slightly younger (by two years) and has generally graded out better on PFF. If the Giants are cutting Zeitler to save money, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to turn around and hand Thuney a deal worth $14 million per year (as PFF projects) rather than fill other needs and keep Zeitler. Still, it’s hard to ignore the Giants ties to Thuney (via Joe Judge, who knows him from the Patriots days).

Gabe Jackson (Raiders): Las Vegas released Jackson recently. The 29-year-old signed a five-year, $55 million deal in 2017 and will get much less than that — and probably only a one-year deal — this offseason. It’s debatable whether he’s appreciably better than Zeitler, though he might come cheaper. PFF had Zeitler graded 29th among guards (min. 500 snaps) in 2020. Jackson was ranked 39th and worse at both pass- and run-blocking, though he didn’t allow a single sack in 2020.

Andrew Norwell (Jaguars): He’s still technically with Jacksonville but there are reports that he could be cut for cap savings. The 29-year-old was an All-Pro in 2017 but hasn’t reached that level since. He missed three games due to injury in 2020 — Zeitler hasn’t missed any games for the Giants — and struggled a bit down the stretch. Giants consultant Pat Flaherty coached him in Jacksonville. He’s only played left guard in the NFL, though, so the Giants would have to move Shane Lemieux and/or Will Hernandez to the right side. PFF had Norwell only allowing 15 total pressures in 2020.

Larry Warford (Saints): The three-time Pro Bowler opted out of the 2020 season after the Saints cut him, so it’s unclear what sort of shape he’s in or how much he’d cost. But if he’s still capable of playing at the level he did from 2017-19, he’d be an interesting option.

Matt Feiler (Steelers): The versatile 28-year-old would be better as an addition to Zeitler, not a replacement for him. Feiler would be an intriguing option at both right tackle and left guard and might not cost all that much. PFF only projects him at a perfectly reasonable $12 million over two years.

Germain Ifedi (Bears): Like Feiler, Ifedi would be more intriguing as an addition to Zeitler, not as a replacement. He has experience at both right guard and right tackle and is coming off his best-ever season (65.5 overall PFF grade, 25 pressures allowed) after a few bad seasons with the Seahawks. PFF only has him earning $5 million over two years.