The New York Giants entered the league’s legal tampering period with All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell as their No. 1 target, and they were widely considered the favorites to sign him.

That did not happen. Instead, the Jacksonville Jaguars surprised everyone when they swooped in and agreed to terms with Norwell, making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL.

As a result, general manager Dave Gettleman and the Giants were left reeling. They quickly turned their attention to offensive lineman Chris Hubbard (Pittsburgh Steelers), but he promptly agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns.

With little meat left on the bone that is the offensive line market, it forced the Giants to go “all in” on the best remaining player: tackle Nate Solder of the New England Patriots.

As of Wednesday morning, just hours before the official start to free agency, the Giants and Houston Texans are considered the favorites to land Solder, with some reporting the Giants are offering upwards of $14 million per year.

Of course, the Giants were also considered one of three “finalists” in on Andrew Norwell, and none of those three teams ended up with him on their roster. Needless to say, expectations should be tempered.

If the Giants do end up with Solder, which will likely come at a steep cost, it will represent an immediate improvement on the offensive line, even if it’s not considered a splashy sort of move.

At the end of the day, Solder is a consistent quality tackle who would allow the Giants to move Ereck Flowers to the right side of the line. And while they’d still need a top tier guard, it would be one key move down after a relatively quiet first two days.