Offensive lineman Daniel Faalele struggled during the New York Giants’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Reacting to the performance, Shannon Sharpe questioned why John Harbaugh’s organization would ever bring him over from Baltimore in the first place. 

“It was bad, you know, based on the film that we saw,” Ocho said on Nightcap, discussing Faalele’s time at Baltimore. “And because it’s the Ravens, because it’s Lamar Jackson, and everybody’s watching their games. So, it magnified everything he did wrong.”

“I can’t believe Harbs took it with him,” Sharpe, who won one Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, added. “I’d have left him in Baltimore.” 

“My college coach told me … ‘Do not recruit offensive linemen.’ I said, ‘Coach, why you don’t want to recruit no offensive lineman?’ He says, ‘I want to recruit defensive linemen, because if they can’t tackle nobody, I’ll put them at the offensive line. And they got the mentality to play offensive line because they will fight you.’ If I recruit an offensive lineman and he big, I ain’t got none of the big a– equipment manager on my hand … Lamar might have said, ‘Look here. If y’all get rid of him, I’ll let y’all keep $10 million.’” 

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The preseason game was supposed to be a fresh start for Daniel Faalele. Instead, he struggled against the Vikings’ defensive front, even though he is 6’8″ tall and 380 lbs. In the third quarter, Faalele missed an easy block, as the Vikings’ defense rushed in to sack quarterback Brandon Allen. He registered an overall PFF grade of 40.2, allowing one hurry and one pressure.

Daniel Faalele originally entered the NFL as Baltimore’s fourth-round draft pick in 2022. He spent his first few seasons developing within the Ravens’ complex offensive system. He played four seasons for the Ravens, but his sluggish play and inability to protect have long been flagged. 

The Giants signed Faalele with a one-year, $1.4 million contract this year. But last season, despite starting all games, the offensive lineman posted an overall PFF grade of only 57.2, one of the lowest in the Baltimore offense. There were times when Faalele struggled to block and was visibly slow on his feet. Faalele allowed 30 quarterback pressures in pass protection along with four sacks.

Lamar Jackson was sacked an alarming 36 times last season. Ravens fans have thanked Harbaugh for signing Faalele. 

Sharpe’s criticism of Faalele is nothing new. Back in 2025, after Faalele struggled to protect Jackson, Sharpe went off.

“(Faalele) can’t block the sun out of his eyes, let alone a defensive lineman,” Sharpe said. “You shouldn’t be allowed to be that big and sorry. He’s as big as he is sorry … on film, he’s always at the scene of the crime … You going to hell if you told that man ‘Good Game’ at any point this year.”

Faalele’s massive size will always make him an intriguing prospect for NFL offensive line coaches. But his preseason struggles prove that size alone doesn’t guarantee success.