New York Giants Training Camp Report: July 27, 2022

Practice No. 1 is in the books for the Giants. Let's run down the highlights.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jul 27, 2022 4:23 PM EDT

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The New York Giants officially opened their 2022 training camp with a focus on the red zone, fitting since we're talking about a team that ranked dead last (44.47 percent conversion rate) in that category last year.

But before the players took the field for the first of several padless practices part of the acclimation period, general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll met with the media simultaneously, continuing to push the "united we stand" attitude that the organization has taken on.

Naturally, the topics presented to each man included quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, perhaps the two most polarizing players on the Giants' roster. But for inquiring minds looking to gain some insight into what Schoen and Daboll need to see from either player before offering each a new contract, that will remain shrouded in mystery for now.

"We’re just in Day 1 here," Schoen said with a smile. "Right now, it’s just about building continuity with the guys. You know we missed some reps in the spring. Really just coming out and executing the offense is what we’re looking to do. You know, getting better each day. And that goes for the entire (Quarterback) position group, Tyrod (Taylor) and Davis Webb as well."

Fans and media have debated what it might take for Jones to put to rest any talk of him getting a new contract. Still, it's not going to come down to numbers so much as it is overall growth as a quarterback in terms of staying healthy, decision making, and, yes, to a degree, production.

Jones, for the umpteenth time, didn't take the bait when asked if he felt that he had something to prove after the Giants declined the option year of his rookie deal.

"I think my focus is to prepare as well as I can and to win games," he said. "I think that’s all I can focus on and what’s going to lead to the best results. So, that’s my mindset, and I think if I do those things, the rest of it will take care of itself."

The Giants' brass' decision to keep any expectations it has of the quarterback out of the public domain is a smart one for several reasons. One, it takes a lot of pressure off Jones to not have numbers assigned to his future, which could put unnecessary strain on him.

More importantly, by not putting out specifics, the management isn't locked into making a move if Jones falls short of the numbers but due to circumstances beyond his control.

Injury Report

Rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger, placed on PUP last week with a quad, passed his physical and was activated Wednesday morning. Bellinger's activation leaves three guys--receiver Sterling Shepard (Achilles), center Nick Gates (leg), and tackle Matt Peart (knee)--still on the PUP list.

As for outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari, who was placed on the non-football injury list with a hamstring strain, head coach Brian Daboll said that the second-year linebacker will "be down a little bit."

Giants Trying Out New Helmet Caps

The Giants linebackers, tight ends, and pit players were all sporting the new Guardian caps, these big blue space-age-like caps that go on top of helmets and are designed to reduce the risk of concussion.

I first noticed them during special teams drills and thought they replaced the old neon-colored pinnies the players used to wear, but the caps are new this year league-wide.

Schoen Provides a Staff Update

Schoen revamped a lot of the team's personnel department, but one position that is still vacant is the director of college scouting, a spot previously held by Chris Petit.

"Yeah, we interviewed probably three or four candidates for that, and we’re just going to move forward without one for the season," Schoen said.

Well, sort of. Schoen added that Dennis Hickey, currently the team's assistant director of player personnel, will take on some of those duties in the interim.

"We’ll evaluate it after the year. But between him, (Director of Player Personnel ) Tim (McDonnel), (Assistant General Manager) Brandon Brown, will kind of head up the personnel department," Schoen said. "Director of Pro Scouting) Chris Rossetti will be doing the pro department. All those guys are outstanding additions, all the new guys."

Practice Highlights

The Giants went through a 90-minute practice in helmets, shirts, and jerseys, focusing on the red zone area. And what a difference a little creativity makes in the red zone.

The Giants did a lot of passes in the red zone and very few runs up the gut (though quarterback Daniel Jones had a touchdown run up the middle when his offensive line was able to part the red sea. Otherwise, this red zone offense featured different tactics such as pre-snap motion, designed rollouts, fake jets, and reverses.

One such play saw running back Saquon Barkley in motion out of the backfield, which left an empty backfield as Barkley went out in a pass pattern. The small sample size of red zone plays was impressive, creative, and encouraging.

Jones exercised good patience inside the red zone, getting the ball out of his hands quickly or throwing the ball away if the pocket collapsed around him.

Last season, Jones converted 38.1 percent of his red zone pass attempts on plays inside the 20. His accuracy was even better inside the 10-yard line, where he completed 47.37 percent. Five of Jones's ten touchdown passes came in the red zone, and he didn't have any interceptions.

Jones, by the way, scored the first touchdown of the summer on a quarterback draw. And he had a nice touchdown throw to receiver Kadarus Toney, who looked to have no lingering side effects from his off-season knee surgery.

Cornerback Aaron Robinson, who had himself a nice practice, looked at home playing on the outside, coming up with some nice plays to break up passes. One that stood out came when Robinson used the sideline to his advantage in boxing out the receiver from the ball.

Darnay Holmes had himself a good practice. He picked off a pass thrown by Daniel Jones after jumping the route down by the goal line.

Rookie Darrian Beavers took first-team reps with the defense while Blake Martinez, who received the green light to practice, sat out the 11-on-11 drills.

It's probably not fair to call a draft pick a sleeper, but Beavers, a sixth-round pick (No. 182 overall) this year who played his college ball at UConn before transferring to Cincinnati, looks like a steal for the Giants.

CorDale Flott came up with a heads-up play in a red zone drill where he shoved receiver Robert Foster out of bounds when Foster went up to haul in a pass thrown high.

A major difference I've noticed in how Daboll runs practices versus how previous staff ran them is that Daboll's are more streamlined. Instead of jamming a lot of stuff into the allotted time, Daboll is running fewer periods but at longer clips.

For example, the previous staff might run as many as 19 periods, each about 2-3 minutes a pop. This staff ran about a dozen periods, each about 5-10 minutes.

Also, this staff left the music on full blast throughout the practice, another interesting difference. In the past, the music would be turned down (or off) when the team drills began, but Daboll wanted to keep the players loose as they ramp back up for the long haul.

Saquon Special

Saquon Barkley had a special group of fans in attendance who were calling for him after the practice ended. The Newark Collegiate Academy High School Football Team had gathered to watch the team's opening practice, and after, they began calling for the running back.

Barkley, hearing their calls, went over to sign autographs and pose for pictures with the team members.

Roster Transaction

The Giants waived former Rutgers offensive tackle Kamaal Seymour, whom they had signed Tuesday and signed OT Garrett McGhin, who most recently was ith the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

Seymour was the only player not spotted at Wednesday's practice.

Up Next

The Giants are back on Thursday, with practice starting at 10:00 a.m. and running through 11:45 a.m. The practice will again be in just shorts and helmets.