The New York Giants (2-4) will have a new center when they line up against the Denver Broncos (4-2) this Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High.
Veteran journeyman Austin Schlottmann, who relieved the injured John Michael Schmitz in the third quarter of last week’s win over Philadelphia, will make his first NFL start in two years this week.
Schmitz left the Giants’ 34-17 Thursday night win over the Eagles with a concussion. Schlottmann played the final 32 offensive snaps in the game and has been lining up with the ones this week. Schmitz remains in the concussion protocol and has been ruled out for this week’s game.
The Giants aren’t concerned. Schlottmann has been with them for two seasons now. Last year, he spent the majority of the year on injured reserve (IR) and was not activated until late December. He knows the offense and, by all accounts, could actually be an upgrade at the position.
“Confident in all the guys we have,” head coach Brian Daboll said this week. “That’s why they’re here. He (Schottmann) did what he needed to do, which was to come in and operate at the center for us. He did a nice job. He’ll get all the reps today.”
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart isn’t concerned about the change at center, either. He spent most of training camp on the second team with Schlotmann as his center. He was asked if there would be an adjustment.
“Maybe there’s a few things, but quite honestly, I’ve probably had more reps with Schlotty than I have with JMS, just through camp, through preseason. I have a lot of confidence in all the guys up there,” he said. “I feel like we have a ton of depth up front and guys who can play at a really high level and play well together. Obviously, we’re definitely hoping to get JMS back, but at the same time, I know that whatever the role is and whoever’s out there, I’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys.”
Schlottmann began his career with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of TCU back in 2018. He played in 42 games with seven starts with Denver before moving on to Minnesota for two seasons and then to the Giants last year.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants don’t expect to miss a beat at center with JMS out in Week 7
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
