New York Giants OTA No. 5 Takeaways

The Giants are halfway through their OTAs after holding No. 5 on Tuesday, a session closed to the general media. Here are a few takeaways from what was reported.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
May 24, 2022 7:30 PM EDT

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New York Giants

The New York Giants wrapped up OTA No. 5 at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, officially putting them halfway through their voluntary team workouts. They'll take a breather on Wednesday and return to the field Thursday for OTA No. 6, a practice that will be open to the media.

Here's a look at some of what was reported by the Giants' in-house media following the conclusion of OTA No. 5.

No Turnovers By Offense

For the second day in a row, the Giants offense avoided turning the ball over.

Last year, the Giants posted one game--Week 2 at Washington--in which they did not have any turnovers. New York finished with a turnover ratio of minus-8, 26th in the league.

The last time the Giants were in the plus column in turnovers was in 2020 when they finished 18th (22 turnovers against). And, of course, it goes without saying that if the Giants offense plans to start putting points on the board, it will have to cut down on the costly drive-killing turnovers.

Darnay Holmes

Travis Toivonen

Daniel Bellinger

Big Day for Darnay

When it comes to the cornerback competition Darnay Holmes, the Giants' fourth-round pick in 2020, always seems to be a forgotten man. But Holmes, who before suffering a season-ending ACL injury had posted a very respectable 86.7 career NFL coverage rating, isn't about to go away quietly.

According to the Giants, Holmes came close to picking off several passes, only to have them fall off his hands, including a red-zone pass attempt near the end zone. While not the ideal outcome, Holmes still managed to break up three passes during the practice as he looks to regain his slot cornerback role.

A Name to Watch

With receivers Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, and Sterling Shepard all assigned red practice jerseys (due to their respective limitations from medical-related issues, Travis Toivonen has been making the most of his opportunities in team drills.

Toivonen, 6-foot-4 and 212-pounds, caught a few of Daniel Jones's passes (suggesting that Toivonen received first-team reps). Toivonen, whose path to the NFL included a stop with the Fan Controlled Football league, is looking to jump from the Giants' practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota last year by the Seahawks, Toivonen spent four years at North Dakota, where he caught 35 of 51 pass targets for 402 yards (122 yards after catch) and one touchdown. Primarily a perimeter receiver, Toivonen has only three career drops and a 33.3 percent contested catch success rate.

Young Tight Ends Shine

The future is looking bright for the Giants young tight ends. Daniel Bellinger, their fourth-round pick, continued putting his hands on display with a reception from David Webb. Joining him in the catch department were undrafted rookies Andre Miller, whom we wrote about yesterday, and Austin Allen, an extremely intriguing undrafted free agent prospect.

Barring an unexpected change in plans, the Giants tight ends will likely be Ricky Seals-Jones, Jordan Akins, and Bellinger.

But with strong camps, Allen and Miller might find spots on the practice squad, with a chance to compete again for a spot on the 53-man roster if the team moves on from Seals-Jones and Akins, both of whom signed one-year deals.

This N' That

In unrelated news, the NFL, which is currently holding league meetings, announced plans to keep Indianapolis as the host city for the annual combine for the next two years. The news undoubtedly made many people happy, given how compact Indianapolis is and how easy it is to get around on foot.

The NFL is reportedly discussing plans to revamp the annual Pro Bowl game, which has always been a competitive contest pitting the best of the AFC against the best of the NFC.

However, the Pro Bowl has become significantly watered-down over the years between high-profiled players pulling out of the game due to injuries or other factors and the scaled-down rules. The league is exploring other avenues, including possibly scrapping the game in favor of a flag football contest or a virtual reality event.