One of the more befuddling things about New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh in his last few years with the Baltimore Ravens — and that’s continued into his 1st season with the Giants — is his faith in offensive lineman Daniel Faalele.
Harbaugh insisted on playing Faalele in Baltimore and almost got 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson killed in doing so.
That same football genius was on display in Saturday’s preseason opener for the Giants, when Faalele was demolished on a simple 1-on-1 pass protection that led to a sack of starting quarterback Jaxson Dart — 1 of 2 sacks Dart endured before being sent to the medical tent.
“I’m so glad we don’t have to deal with Daniel Faalele’s welcome to football moments on the Ravens OL anymore!” Ravens reporter Nic Mason wrote on their official X account.
“John Harbaugh made us sit through this for 2 years,” Ravens fan Lockdown Rivers wrote on X.
“The Ravens started Daniel Faalele for a full 17 games in 2025 to protect Lamar Jackson,” Ravens reporter Kevin Oestricher wrote on his official X account on Saturday. “Here he is at left guard in his first preseason game for the Giants, where he reunited with John Harbaugh.”
The key for the Giants might be to do what Harbaugh could never seem to bring himself to do before he was fired after 18 seasons with the Ravens — cut Faalele.
Former NFL Stars Called Faalele ‘Big and Sorry’
Faalele has made headlines since he was a high school star because of his size — he’s 6-foot-8 and 370 pounds.
That size has done little to help him win against NFL defensive lineman, which was on full display in 2025 after several notably terrible performances.
Faalele got roasted on a podcast by Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chad Ochocinco following the Ravens’ 27-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.
It’s the kind of lambasting that doesn’t come around very often. In this case, it was well deserved.
“(Faalele) can’t block the sun out of his eyes, let alone a defensive lineman,” Sharpe said on The Nightcap Podcast on Sunday, December 7. “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.”
The loss dropped the Ravens to 6-7 overall, and Faalele even had the gall to refuse to speak with the media after the game. Baltimore ultimately finished 8-9, missed the playoffs, and Harbaugh went to the Giants, where he promptly signed Faalele to a 1-year, $1.4 million contract on April 9.
Confrontation Between Jackson, Faalele on Sideline
Faaleele’s struggles led to a rare emotional outburst from Ravens quarterback and 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, who confronted Faalele on the sideline following an interception.
“You rarely see a QB chastise and single out one offensive lineman,” Ochocinco said. “Lamar must’ve been really frustrated.”
It’s a frustration Jackson shared with almost every Ravens fan in the world at that point, and pretty much since the Ravens selected Faalele in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft and more so after he became the full-time starter in 2024.
“Daniel Faalele is just a few steps away from being the worst offensive lineman in Ravens history,” Ravens reporter Pedro Rhormes wrote on his official X account in 2025. “And that’s saying something, considering we once had Alejandro Villanueva on the field.”
“Daniel Faalele is the worst lineman in the league, the guy weighs 400 pounds and he looks like he does not know what to do every play,” Ravens YouTuber Pro Trapper wrote on X in 2025. “The guy seriously should have been benched weeks ago. This is on Harbaugh. Fire John Harbaugh.”
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