New York Giants Biggest Questions Entering Final Week of Training Camp

So just like that, we're about to turn the page on the calendar to September and head into what will hopefully be a "normal" NFL season following a very abnormal off-season and training camp.

The New York Giants have been hard at work trying to put together a competitive team that will eradicate the sour taste left behind by three straight underachieving teams that amassed 12 wins in the last three seasons. However, there are still questions that remain as the Giants close out training camp this week.

Head coach Joe Judge has kept many things close to the vest this summer, trying not to show too much ahead of the team's September 14 season opener against the Steelers. But there are some things Judge hasn't been able to camouflage and that he might not have the answer for in time for the regular season.

Let's take a closer look at where each unit stands.

Quarterback

We know that barring a catastrophe, Daniel Jones will be the starter. But the big question with Jones remains pocket presence and ball security, both of which reared their respective ugly heads in last week's Blue-White scrimmage. Jones lost the handle on two balls, including one strip-sack by Lorenzo Carter that wasn't ruled a strip-sack, and the other when he took off with the ball only to lose it as he slid.

Ball security was a significant stain on Jones' rookie season last year, and he's worked hard to eradicate that from his game. Based on that scrimmage, which all be it was just one "game," he's still not there yet.

Colt McCoy looks like he's closing in on the No. 2 quarterback spot, but after that, it's up in the air as to whether the Giants carry a third quarterback on the 53-man roster.

Running Back

Javon Leake was a surprise cut this week as the team needed to make additional room for another cornerback. Wayne Gallman's performance and Corey Coleman's kickoff return ability in the scrimmage certainly couldn't have helped Leake's case, though fortunately, at least for now, he went unclaimed on waivers.

Saquon Barkley and Dion Lewis seem locked in as the one-two punch, and it looks as though Barkley is going to be worked smarter and not harder. What will be interesting to see, though, is if the Giants decide to keep fullback Eli Penny or an extra tight end, the latter giving the team a little more flexibility.

Tight End

See above. The Giants have some better than average blocking tight ends who can also be used in the passing game. Might one of those fringe guys squeeze the fullback off the roster?

And what will Evan Engram's role be in this offense? We've seen glimpses here and there, but Engram was held out of the scrimmage, presumably due to having topped out his workload.

Engram's athletic ability is going to be critical for this offense. Will offensive coordinator Jason Garrett start deploying him more like he did his tight ends in Dallas?

Receiver

It looks more and more like the first four spots are set. Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, and Corey Coleman appear to be locks. But the identity of the fifth receiver remains in flux as none of the guys who have stood out in camp such as Binjimen Victor, Austin Mack, and David Sills V stood out in the scrimmage last week.

One practice does not make or break a guy's chance for a roster, but on the outside looking in, that last receiver spot seems to be still up for grabs. And it's also unknown if the Giants will keep a sixth receiver on the roster, as the injury situation will be a factor.

Offensive Line

The starters and depth seem to be taking shape nicely, but this unit's most significant question mark remains if it's better or different. The scrimmage revealed a mixed bag--the interior linemen did well, but the tackles had their struggles holding down the edges.

True, there was no game-planning to give guys help as there would be in a regular-season game, but at the end of the day, football is about beating the man in front of you with sound technique, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the technique by the tackles was, at times, off.

Defensive Line

After it looked as though this unit might lose its unofficial title of being the strongest on the team to the defensive secondary, they've held firm. The defensive front hummed along during the scrimmage as it has all summer. And kudos to defensive line coach Sean Spencer for getting these guys to get their hands up on every passing play--that's paid off dividends in practices for them.

At this point, the only significant question mark for this unit is going to be the depth. Austin Johnson appears to have made the roster, but what about BJ Hill, Chris Slayton, and RJ McIntosh? Chances are there won't be room for all three of those draft picks, so this week will be an important one for them.

Edge Rushers

Despite what you might have read, Lorenzo Carter didn't look like the second coming of Lawrence Taylor. That's not a swipe at Carter, who all summer long has looked fantastic, motivated, and ready to finally have that breakout season. Instead, that's a tip of the hat to the great LT, often imitated but never duplicated.

Beyond Carter, who again has had the best summer out of all the edge players, the others have run hot and cold. It would be great if some of the others stepped up more consistently to help force opposing offenses to pick their poison.

Inside Linebackers

Oh, these injuries. First, it was Ryan Connelly missing a week. Then David Mayo tore his meniscus (he should be back though in about a month). And then Blake Martinez missed a couple of days with an undisclosed injury.

Connelly and Martinez have since returned from whatever it was keeping them out. Still, this situation bears watching as if either has a flare-up, suddenly the Giants depth at the inside linebacker spot could become scarily thin unless second-year veteran Josiah Tauefa and/or rookies like TJ Brunson and Tae Crowder step up even more.

Cornerback

Just one question here. Who's going to be the starter opposite of James Bradberry? Seriously, from the outside looking in, the Giants seem no closer to having a definitive answer as they were at the start of camp after DeAndre Baker was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt list and Sam Beal opted out.

Rookie Darnay Holmes has been impressive this summer, but would the coaches roll with him against bigger receivers? Or might they decide to go with a committee approach since they seem to be all about getting the matchup advantage?

Safety

The loss of Xavier McKinney hurts. Really, really hurts. McKinney, who is expected to land on IR once the regular-seasons tarts so he can be brought back later in the year, was going to be a big part of the defense.

Now? Julian Love will probably fill in at free safety for McKinney. But who will be that third guy? Maybe it will be another safety such as Montre Hartage or Davon Askew-Henry. Or maybe defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will work another cornerback into that mix.

Did I mention that the loss of McKinney really hurts?

Special Teams

The kicking battery seems set, but chew on this for a moment if you will.

Last year the Giants' top three most productive special teams players--Cody Core, Antonio Hamilton, and Michael Thomas--are not going to be available to them this year. Hamilton signed with the Chiefs, Thomas with the Texans, and Core tore his Achilles.

Yes, the team added Nate Ebner, for years, the "Robin" to Matthew Slater's "Batman" up in New England. But that's just one man to replace the efforts of three top performers potentially. That, of course, means the Giants need at least two other guys who will be part of the core special teams to bring the goods.

Judge said he's not afraid to play starters on special teams, nor should he be. So someone like Jabrill Peppers might emerge as a physical enforcer on the unit. But this question likely won't be answered for a while, and it does bear watching.

Final Thoughts

There are many questions and less than a week for Judge, the coaches, and the players to sort it out.

For their sake and those of the loyal and faithful fans who have chosen to stand by the team despite the inferior product the franchise has fielded for most of the last decade, they better come up with the right answers or else it's going to be another long year.

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