New York Giants OTA No. 6 Takeaways
The Giants put another OTA practice in the books on Thursday, that being OTA No. 6.
New York has four more OTAs scheduled for May 31-June 3 and then will hold a mandatory minicamp June 7-9
Here's a rundown of some highlights and observations from the sixth OTA, which was open to the full media corps.
Injury Notables
Rookie edge Kayvon Thibodeaux not only remains in a red jersey (signifying that he's rehabbing from an injury), but he was one of two players to be spotted on the stationary bikes while the team was going through warm-ups (defensive back Darren Evans was the other).
Later in practice, Thibodeaux, Sterling Shepard, and Kenny Golladay (no longer wearing a red jersey) left early to go inside, presumably for treatment.
When asked if there was any reason to be concerned for the long-term regarding Thibodeaux, Head coach Brian Daboll said, "I don't think there's any. We'll see, it's day-to-day. I'm talking about everybody. I think the red jersey guys are making progress, and hopefully, we'll have everybody ready to go."
Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II is a new addition to the red jersey assignments. It's unknown what he is dealing with.
Daniel Jones Progressing
Daniel Jones looks more determined and seems more at ease in knowing that the pressure isn't on him to be perfect, and Daboll has noticed.
Jones, who looks like he's thinking less and getting the ball out faster--a big step up for him considering this is his first season in this new offense and how in the past he hasn't always shown such certainty--drew praise from Daboll regarding his progress.
"Good," Daboll said when asked about Jones's response to being allowed to be more aggressive. "Again, I think those are all good learning lessons. Can you fit it in that window? Can he move the safety with his eyes? Can he anticipate where a receiver is going to be based on the choice that the receiver has? That will be all the way through the rest of these OTAs and training camp."
Daboll reiterated that it's okay for Jones to make mistakes at this juncture.
"I think that's why you practice for a quarterback especially, 'It's okay to make a mistake in practice. You touch the ball on every single play. Let's go ahead and find out what we need to work on, and let's continue to be as aggressive as we can.'"
EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
QB Daniel Jones
Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
TE Daniel Bellinger
John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
CB Adoree' Jackson
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Fight!
It's rare to have a scuffle break out during an OTA since there's no contact allowed, and the practices are run at half speed if that. But after one 11-on-11 drill, offensive tackle Korey Cunningham and outside linebacker Quincy Roche briefly mixed it up, Roche losing his helmet in the process.
Worth noting is that while the Giants haven't gone full out, the intensity level has been good. The players seem attentive and focused, and come to compete, which is good. They've also mostly been smart in following the coaches' instructions regarding the pace and intensity.
Practice Observations & Notes
Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones looked smooth as a receiver. The 6-foot-5 Seals-Jones is a big target, and it looks like he will be moved around the formation to take advantage of Machu-ups.
Rookie Daniel Bellinger also continued to look smooth. I don't think he's dropped a pass thrown his way during the practices open to the media. He does a good job of looking the ball into his hands and then turning and running.
The offense's two-day streak of no turnovers came to an end today. Daniel Jones was picked off twice, though both were not his fault. On one, safety Xavier McKinney snagged a ball that Alex Bachman bobbled and returned it down the sideline.
On the other interception, Adoree' Jackson came up with a Pick-6 on a ball intended for Richie James, on which James slipped and fell.
Outside linebacker Elerson Smith came up with a fumble recovery on a forced fumble by Carter Coughlin on a ball thrown by Tyrod Taylor.
The Giants will be fun to watch at training camp this summer because every 11-on-11 drill is going to come down to a matter of who blinks first. On offense, you'll likely see a lot of pre-snap motion going on, while on defense, guys are moving around trying to disguise what they're trying to do. It should be fun to see who ends up winning these competitions.
Will this be the season that we finally see more of running back Saquon Barkley deployed across the formations? In four seasons and 249 pass targets, Barkley has lined up in the slot just 48 times, wide 99 times, and inline twice. Don't be surprised if he significantly adds to those totals, as this coaching staff intends to get him out into space.
Punter Jamie Gillan was spotted practicing holding for place-kicks, taking snaps from long snapper Casey Kreiter. Graham Gano wasn't at the voluntary OTA, so the Giants didn't get a chance to practice any actual field goal attempts, but those are undoubtedly coming sooner than later.
Nice reception by Wan'Dale Robinson against Aaron Robinson on a ball thrown by Daniel Jones. Here is the play:
The defensive backs were doing a drill I don't remember seeing from Coach Jerome Henderson's group in the past.
The drill entailed the coach rolling a tennis ball out toward the red boundary line and the defensive back scrambling after it and trying to scoop it up. I thought Cor'Dale Flott and Aaron Robinson were the two quickest to accomplish the mission.
Offensive linemen Nick Gates and Matt Peart came out to practice after the session began, probably due to each getting treatment. Both were spotted walking without a limp and, at times, even doing a little bit of playful running toward the field. Daboll has said in the past that he's not sure if Gates (broken leg) and Peart (ACL) will be ready for the start of training camp, but both seem determined to beat the odds against them.
Roster Transaction
The Giants waived defensive back Jordan Mosley, who played his college ball at Maryland.
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