John Michael Schmitz has started 44 games during his four-season Giants tenure. The team, however, sat the former second-round pick against the Cardinals in Week 4. While John Harbaugh attributed the move to the Giants wanting stability after Bryan Hudson practiced in place of Schmitz last Friday — as the incumbent was present for the birth of his child — an awkward transition appears afoot.
Hudson is expected to make a second start at center this week, the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy notes. Cam Skattebo effectively confirmed the change (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan). Harbaugh had said Hudson made a case for playing time ahead of his Week 4 promotion, and a promising start in place of Schmitz last week may well lead to a big-picture change.
A 2024 UDFA, Hudson spent much of last season as a backup snapping to then-QB2 Jameis Winston. Hudson then did not allow a QB pressure on 37 pass-blocking reps in the Cardinals matchup. Hudson, 25, only played in two games prior to this season; though, he beat out Lucas Patrick for the backup center job in training camp. The Giants initially signed Hudson, a Lions signee following the 2024 draft, as a practice squad stash in November of that year.
Had Schmitz delivered a better body of work through his fourth season, the Giants would surely not entertain the prospect of benching him after he was briefly away from the team for family reasons. But the Minnesota product has not established a firm grip on the position, even though he had entered all four seasons of his career in the role.
Pro Football Focus has never ranked Schmitz above 27th among centers. Through three games, he sits as the advanced metrics site’s second-lowest-graded player at the position. Schmitz, 27, is also in a contract year. Hudson, conversely, can be controlled through 2028 via ERFA and RFA tenders.
With all of 70 career offensive snaps, however, Hudson is certainly not a sure bet to commandeer the job this season — let alone in 2027. But the former first-team All-ACC center (with Louisville, where he was also an all-conference discus thrower and shot putter) has made a strong impression early in the season and has parlayed that into an opportunity.
As for Schmitz, this could represent a tough blow at a key point in his career. The center market skyrocketed thanks to Tyler Linderbaum’s monster Raiders deal. Schmitz was never in position to vault toward that contract level, but as a full-time starter on his rookie contract, the former Golden Gophers standout was poised to present an interesting resume on the 2027 free agent market. Connor McGovern and Cade Mays also did well this year. If Schmitz is supplanted by Hudson in the long term, his FA stock will assuredly take a hit.