During a recent episode of Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson discussed offensive lineman Daniel Faalele’s recent performance. Faalele struggled during the New York Giants’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Reacting to the performance, Sharpe questioned why John Harbaugh’s organization would ever bring him over from Baltimore in the first place.
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“I can’t believe Harbs took it with me,” Sharpe exclaimed on Nightcap. “I’d have left him in Baltimore.”
The preseason game was supposed to be a fresh start for Faalele. Instead, he struggled against the Vikings’ defensive front. Being unable to protect the quarterback is a sin for the offensive linemen. And that’s even worse for a 6’8″ tall 380 lbs lineman. He allowed a sack and a hit on Jaxson Dart after getting beaten in 1-on-1 pass protection. It was one of the two sacks that sent Jaxson to the medical tent. But the reason Faalele came under the spotlight is because of his past association with the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.
“It was bad. Based on the film that we saw, because it’s the Ravens, because this is Lamar Jackson, and everybody is watching their games,” Joe Johnson explained. “So, it magnified everything he did wrong.”
Faalele originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick in 2022. Drafted by Baltimore, he spent his first few seasons developing within the Ravens’ complex offensive system. He played four seasons for the Ravens, but his inability to protect the quarterback effectively put him out of the team.
But Harbaugh brought Faalele into the Giants with a one-year, $1.4 million contract back on April 9, 2026. Even though there are clips showing Faalele drifting into open space and failing to touch a single defender during assignments on the internet, Harbaugh seemed to rely on him. And that brought him quite some scrutiny. Meanwhile, Ravens fans kept thanking the coach for taking Faalele away.
Sharpe’s criticism of Faalele is nothing new. Back in 2025, after Faalele struggled to protect Jackson, Sharpe famously went off on him. He did slam him for being unable to keep the sun out of his eyes. He claimed that one shouldn’t be allowed to be as big as Faalele is and yet be sorry for failing to protect the quarterback. And then, he branded Faalele as “Fish Fillet.”
“(Faalele) can’t block the sun out of his eyes, let alone a defensive lineman,” Sharpe said as he watched Faalele’s terrible performance in the Ravens’ 27-22 loss against the Steelers in Week 14 last year. “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.