Competitions Heat Up, Waller Gets a Rest, and More from Giants Training Camp Day 5
Ask any NFL head coach what he wants to see in training camp, and he'll probably tell you "competition."
Well, the New York Giants have that in abundance this summer, particularly on the offensive line and at wide receiver, and head coach Brian Daboll couldn't be happier about it--even if it means that he doesn't have any concrete answers as to how those position units will look from starters to reserves once the 53-man roster is set.
"That’s what training camp is for," Daboll said. "That’s why we are out here. I think everybody deserves an opportunity. Those that deserve the opportunity should get the opportunity. Then, what they make of it is up to them."
On the offensive line, the only guys who appear to be locked in for starting roles in the upcoming season are tackles Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal and right guard Mark Glowinski.
Rookie center John Michael Schmitz should be the fourth one to emerge, but thus far in camp, he's had to rotate snaps with Ben Bredeson at center with the starting unit. And Bredeson has also had to rotate with Joshua Ezeudu and Tyre Phillips at left guard with the first-team o-line.
Meanwhile, guys like Shane Lemieux, Jack Anderson, Matt Peart, and Korey Cunningham are competing for reserve spots.
“Our job is to give people the opportunity to go out there and compete and use different lineups, see how they react to different things, whether from tackle to guard, guard to center, center to guard,” Daboll said.
“Every place I’ve been, we’ve always done that with the offensive line. Those that deserve an opportunity should get the opportunity. What they make of it is up to them.”
The same holds true at receiver, where the Giants have just over a dozen candidates for what could boil down to seven spots tops.
Those projected to be locks include Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, Parris Campbell, and Darius Slayton. That would leave about three openings for guys like Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder, Cole Beasley, David Sills V, Collin Johnson, and Kalil Pimpleton to earn.
Having so many receivers and only so many balls to go around each day can make it particularly challenging for some further down the depth chart. Still, again, Daboll stressed that players need to take advantage of the opportunities when they are there.
"You got to control what you can control, whether that is five reps, ten reps, whatever it may be," Daboll said.
"You don’t get any balls one day, you just got to stay mentally focused on doing your job, and when you get an opportunity, make the most of it."
But with only so many practices left in training camp and three preseason games to complete their evaluations, is there a certain point where Daboll would like to have answers?
"I think it will be settled by the players," Daboll said.
Injury Report
Interior offensive lineman J.C. Haussenauer, who appeared to injure his elbow in Sunday’s practice, suffered a triceps injury for which head coach Brian Daboll said the offensive lineman will need surgery.
Hassenauer was believed to be a long shot at center anyway, but it’s still a crushing blow to him that he won’t get to compete for a roster spot.
The Giants have John Michael Schmitz and Ben Bredeson, who can play center, as can Shane Lemieux and Jack Anderson. Of those, only Schmitz has played the position most of his career, so don’t be surprised if the Giants add another veteran center with more than just a handful of snaps at the position under his belt to the roster.
Tight end Darren Waller and defensive end Leonard Williams received rest days from the team drills. Both, however, participated in warmups and individual drills. Mark Glowinski got a few team sessions off this practice, replaced by Ben Bredeson.
Tight end Ryan Jones (knee) and outside linebacker Jihad Ward (unknown) missed another practice day. And receiver Sterling Shepard (ACL) was given the day off as the Giants look to build up his football stamina now that he’s off the PUP list.
Lineup Notes
The coaches continue to shuffle the lineups around at certain positions. Ben Bredeson got work at both guard spots. Cor’Dale Flott was the slot cornerback (second day in a row). Adoree Jackson played a few snaps in the slot, replaced by Tre Hawkins. Jason Pinnock worked at safety for a second straight day.
John Michael Schmitz worked at the center for a second straight day. Micah McFadden worked as an inside linebacker. Joshua Ezeudu lined up at left guard, and Ben Bredesen, the center or left guard in the first four practices, switched to right guard when Mark Glowinski lined up with the second team.
Darnay Holmes, the incumbent slot cornerback, worked with the third-team defense. As I’ve been noting all along, I get the strong impression that the Giants will go to a committee approach at that position, and that could mean that Holmes’s nearly $3 million cap hit this year is in jeopardy of being removed from the books.
Quote
“My weight, which I haven’t really done a good enough job of.” — Brian Daboll, on what he would like to improve in his second year as a head coach
Observations
• While the Giants obviously prefer to have Darren Waller in the lineup for as many games as possible, on Monday, we saw what the offense might look like without him, and it wasn’t quite as scary.
Waller, who got a rest from the team drills (he took part in the individual drills), stood by as Daniel Jones spread the ball around to other receiving options who were able to make plays, including Parris Campbell, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and Saquon Barkley.
• Check out this deep pass from Jones to Campbell; the ball is perfectly placed where only the receiver could get it.
• Barkley saw his biggest role thus far in this camp as a receiver, drawing loud cheers from the assembled crowds.
• Jones and Hyatt two connected on one deep ball that safety Xavier McKinney just missed by a hair.
I like the Jones to Jalin Hyatt connection. Hyatt does such a good job of splitting the defenders and getting himself open. He’s been spending extra time with Jones after practice working on different routes, and you can see Hyatt’s confidence starting to grow.
• Parris Campbell continues to run some snaps out of the backfield. It will be interesting to see if he starts running more jet sweeps and end-arounds.
• Cornerback Deonte Banks, who has had a rough start to training camp so far, had what was probably his best practice on Monday. Among his contributions was a pass breakup of a ball Jones threw to Slayton. By the way, Banks was part of a pass breakup on a ball intended for Darius Slayton.
• Tre Hawkins III got some first-team reps on defense today. I’ve noted in previous reports how Hawkins plays such sticky coverage against a receiver, and today was no different. He stuck to Slayton like glue, forcing Jones to throw the ball away.
Hawkins did end up being the defender on a Jones to Campbell touchdown, but Jones put the ball in a perfect spot, giving Hawkins little chance to get a hand on it.
• Jamison Crowder made the catch of the day on a one-handed snatch of the ball on a short pass from Tyrod Taylor.
• Collin Johnson had a rare drop on a pass thrown by Tyrod Taylor.
• John Michael Schmitz did a nice job identifying a blitzing defensive back and changing the protection call. Schmitz will come under fire once the pads go on and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale unleashes the hounds.
• Nick McCloud picked off a Tyrod Taylor pass.
Up Next
The pads go on starting Tuesday in what will be an evening practice set to begin at 5:00 p.m.
- Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
- Follow and like us on Facebook
- Submit your questions for our mailbag
- Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
- Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
- Sign up for our FREE message board forums
- Connect with us via text alerts! Free 14 Day Trial!
