Jaclyn Marr

In their first major move so far in free agency, the Giants have finally given their disastrous offensive line a boost with the signing of left tackle Nate Solder.

The former New England Patriot has been protecting Tom Brady’s blindside since being drafted in 2011. Now, the 6-foot-8, 325-pounder will be the blocker Eli Manning has been in desperate need of.

Solder has played in 98 career regular-season games, 95 starts, and 16 career playoff games. He has one Pro Bowl invitation in his career so far as an AFC alternate in 2017. He’s spent his whole career with the Patriots, which includes four Super Bowl appearances.

With the signing, it is unclear what will happen to current left tackle Ereck Flowers. To say Flowers has been inconsistent in his time at left tackle would be an understatement.  However, the Giants implied they have no plans of getting rid of him yet. He will likely move to right tackle or could become a backup.

New Giants’ general manager Dave Gettleman knew he needed to improve the offensive line – one of his team’s biggest weaknesses – as soon as possible.

After losing out on top guard Andrew Norwell to Tom Coughlin’s Jacksonville Jaguars, Gettleman landed the best left tackle on the market. Although he paid a big price to get it done, it was a move that needed to be accomplished.

Solder is now the highest paid offensive lineman in the league with a four-year, $62 million contract and a whopping $34.9 million guaranteed.

Get ready Giants fans, this is just the start of free agency.