Top 7 New York Giants Training Camp Storylines

There will be no shortage of storylines when the Giants report for training camp on Tuesday. Here are a few we'll be watching.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 25, 2022 8:00 AM EDT

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New York Giants

The New York Giants' 2022 off-season was as close to being perfect as possible, thanks to the renewed energy brought from Buffalo by general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

Schoen, the first-time general manager, came in with a plan to renovate an underachieving and banged-up Giants roster that a year ago eked out just four wins and faced a horrendous salary cap situation. Diving head in, Schoen stocked up on low-cost veterans, many of them familiar with the new coaching staff's systems and ways, and went all out on the draft to add young talented pieces across the board to reinforce the roster's existing yet weakened core.

Daboll, meanwhile, came in with a vision that he has tailored around the talent on the roster. In addition to doing his own evaluation of the players he inherited, he sought--and incorporated--feedback from key players that have struggled to find their way to the top of their respective positions, such as quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, and safety Xavier McKinney, just to name a few.

And in offering a piece of the overall program's ownership to not only the players but the coaches and staff, Daboll has fostered an atmosphere that has created a kind of energy and buzz like none other to hit 1925 Giants Drive in recent years.

As these new-look Giants prepare to kick off their annual training camp, there are still plenty of questions. Here are just a few.

What Will Camp Look Like?

This seems like a throwaway storyline to start the list, but it's important because it will tell a lot about what kind of program head coach Brian Daboll intends to run.

Some coaches tend to have their players coast into the grueling part of camp. Others look to hit the ground running, realizing that time is short and a lot must be done. And still, others look to find a middle ground.

Daboll, it seems, will fall into that last category, balancing out the reps between the projected starters and the backups while not overworking (and hence fatiguing) the players every day, which can lead to injuries.

This is something that safety Xavier McKinney, in an interview with the New York Post, alluded to.

They’ve done a great job of taking care of us. Dabes [head coach Brian Daboll] has done a great job of communicating with us. There were some days where he would come talk to me and be like: 'How’s the defense feeling? Guys tired?' … There’s some things where it was like, 'We’re sore.' He would make sure that he chopped some stuff down that we weren’t putting so much on our bodies. That really sunk in with us because it told us that he actually cared about how we felt. Because some coaches, they’ll ask you like, 'Are you good?' And then you say, 'Nah, not really,' and then we’ll do the same thing. So all right, why did you ask me if you weren’t gonna change anything?

On this same note, it's probably a safe bet to assume that Daboll won't make the same mistake made last year when the coaches decided to limit the starters' playing time in the preseason games.

The offense, in particular, could use a lot of work this summer, especially after it was without Andrew Thomas all spring while he recovered from off-season ankle surgery. So too, could quarterback Daniel Jones, whom Daboll is trying to get more comfortable with taking a few more risks.

Do They Have a Franchise Quarterback?

On paper, the answer is yes, as Daniel Jones, the sixth overall draft pick in 2019, is supposed to be that guy. But thanks to a combination of (mostly) inept roster and coaching management combined with Jones's own doing, the former Duke star hasn't come close to looking anything like a quarterback that the franchise can hang its hat on.

While neither Schoen nor Daboll has any loyalty to Jones, a player neither drafted, they're not quite ready to throw the baby out with the bath water. The Giants are finally doing everything possible to give Jones the best chance of success, thereby eliminating years' worth of excuses he had to fall back on.

By this point, the Giants should have had a clearer idea of what they have in Jones. Still, things are where they are due to mistakes made in the past regarding giving Jones a stable offensive line and coaching to support his development. Now it is up to Jones to find a way to minimize his risks of injury and quell the growing grumblings by critics who believe he will not be a Giant this time next year.

Who's In, Who's Out?

The Giants had a slew of players in red medical jerseys in the spring, such as their top three receivers (Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Kadarius Toney), rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, projected starting cornerback Aaron Robinson, outside linebacker Blake Martinez, and left tackle Andrew Thomas.

Of their injured players, the Giants are projected to place Shepard (Achilles) and offensive linemen Nick Gates (leg), and Matt Peart (knee) on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. However, we are talking about the NFL's most injured team last year, and there could be a few surprises that pop up that no one saw coming.

Already, the team announced that rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger (quad) was unable to pass a physical and will start his first training camp on the PUP list. Will there be others, and if there are, how long will they be sidelined?

Cornering the Market

NFL teams are usually not in the business of creating holes on their roster unless the situation is dire. Thanks to the previous regime's gamble to build the roster with some costly veterans that mostly didn't pan out, the Giants found themselves in dire straits.

They had to say goodbye to cornerback James Bradberry, their top cornerback who was only a season removed from his first Pro Bowl berth. Bradberry took his talents to the Eagles, and the Giants gained about $12 million in cap space, but they also have a hole that they're hoping can be filled with what they have on the roster.

First, Aaron Robinson and Adoree Jackson project as the starting outside cornerbacks for a team that plays in a division loaded with outstanding receivers. But behind the projected starters is a lot of young talent, much of which is inexperienced.

Can this young, inexperienced talent like Rodarius Williams (who is coming off a season-ending injury of his own), rookie draft pick Cor'Dale Flott, and Darnay Holmes (who missed time with a rib injury last year) answer the bell if called upon?

The O-line

Every year the question of "better or different?" is asked, and every year, the answer ends up being the same: different.

For once, the Giants would like the answer to be "better," and this might just be the year they reach that goal. Schoen set this franchise up with a bookend tackle opposite Andrew Thomas, that being Evan Neal. He also brought in a bunch of veterans along the interior, including former Bills interior lineman Jon Feliciano, who will run the offense as the team's center.

And he restocked a bare cupboard with plenty of good, young talent that will be developed for larger roles down the line, thus lessening the need to re-sign some of the veterans inked to one-year deals.

The key, as always, will be keeping this unit healthy, but isn't it nice to know that if there is an injury, they have some options they can turn to that hopefully won't cause them to miss a beat?

The Offense

With all apologies to the heavy metal band Motley Crue, who famously crooned the catchy hit tune "Kickstart My Heart," the Giants need to finally find a way to kickstart what has been a stagnant offense that has struggled to sustain drives and score points.

Keeping their playmakers on the field is one way to accomplish that goal, but what should help even more is a more modern offense with the kind of creativity Giant fans have been yearning to see.

No more constant stick routes or short comebacks that allow opposing defenders to close in on Giants receivers and limit their yards after the catch. No more (we hope) sending Saquon Barkley up the gut and into the teeth of the defense, where he's yet to show he can lower his shoulder and push the pile.

And no more hesitancy to get Barkley into space or take a few deep shots down the field. Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have implemented a modern pass-first offensive system that marries elements from the Bills' and Chiefs' systems adjusted to the Giants' talents.

The Defense

For as long as the game of football has been around, we've heard the word "aggressive" used to describe defenses. However, there is aggressive, and then there is "aggressive."

In the last two seasons, the Giants' defense was "aggressive" in that it sought to attack the quarterback. However, if everything falls into place for new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, well, let's just say we should get ready for a whole new type of "aggressive" Giants defense that is more proactive than reactive.

The question is, do they have what they need to run the type of system Martindale envisions? There are still some unresolved questions on the defense's back end, particularly at cornerback. And while expectations are sky-high for the renovated pass rush, until those players get on the field and produce, everything is status quo from last year.

While a lot of eyes will be on the offense given how bad it's been, let's not lose sight of how the defense evolves and if Martindale and the players can make it what they want it to be, which is a bully that dictates its terms to opposing offenses.