New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: OG Jake Kubas

The New York Giants have invested heavily in the guard position this off-season. They signed Jermaine Eluemunor for the Raiders and Jon Runyan Jr from the Packers, both projected to be starting guards for the team this year. 

They also signed Aaron Stinnie from the Buccaneers. When you add those players with Joshua Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan who are entering their third season in the NFL with the Giants, it does not leave a lot of space for another guard. 

This is the challenge new Giants rookie guard Jake Kubas will face while trying to make this roster. Even though he is a very experienced rookie, he will clearly be the lowest man on the totem pole. 

One of Kubas's issues is something he can not control: his size. There aren’t many 300-pound linemen in the NFL, let alone guards. However, the Giants are unique because they seem to be scaling back in size and instead focusing on linemen with better agility, likely in an attempt to improve pass blocking. 

Runyan is the same size as Kubas. Ezeudu and Stinnie are only a few pounds heavier. The Giants likely believe Kubas has the potential to be a perfect backup, especially at right guard given his extensive experience at the position in college. 

Kubas’s athletic ability has been and will continue to be his calling card if he hopes to remain a part of this organization. He has really quick feet and works up to the second level very well. He also excels at pulling and working to the perimeter for blocks. 

It also makes him a weapon in the screen game. With all of those positives, he still has things that he needs to work on and chief among them is his power. He is a technically sound blocker but he does not bring a lot of pop with him. In the NFL he will face big, athletic, and powerful defensive linemen and he must be able to hold up. It is a major reason why he was not drafted. 

JAKE KUBAS, OG

Height: 6-4
Weight: 308 lbs.
Exp: R
School: North Dakota State
How Acquired: UDFA-24

2023 in Review

You would be hard-pressed to find many who had a better 2023 than Kubas. He was named a team captain and finished his career starting 44 of a possible 45 games at right guard for the Bison over his final three seasons in college. 

He returned for his extra season due to the COVID exemption, and he helped lead one of the best offensive units in the FCS to the National Championship game where they lost to South Dakota State. 

He was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference, third-team All-American by the Associated Press, second-team All-American by Phil Steele, and first-team All-American by Stats Perform. Although he did not hear his name called during the draft, he got the call from the Giants to continue his football career as an undrafted free agent. 

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Contract/Cap Info

Kubas signed a three-year, $2.86 million contract with the New York Giants, including a $30,000 signing bonus, $270,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $953,333. 

In 2024, Kubas will earn a base salary of $795,000 and a signing bonus of $30,000, while carrying a cap hit of $805,000 and a dead cap value of $270,000.

2024 Preview

Kubas should be a highly active body throughout training camp. There are a lot of veteran offensive linemen on this team so once they get their reps, the remaining snaps should get gobbled up by Kubas, who needs to spend training camp finding as many reps as he can. 

It's clear that the Giants believe that he can be a part of the future because they gave him a signing bonus and guaranteed money. It does not guarantee anything, but it sends a clear message that they have some faith in what he can become. 

He should take every opportunity to flash his athleticism. When backs break on big runs, he should keep himself in the frame. By constantly putting himself in a position to not be ignored, he can make the coaching staff fall in love with his hustle and athleticism. It may be too much to make the final roster, but he should be able to make a good enough impression to land on the practice squad.  

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