New York Giants OTAs Storylines and Thoughts

The New York Giants begin Phase 3 of their off-season program with the voluntary OTAs starting this week. This means the full team will be able to mix in with each other, including offensive vs. defensive players.

The non-contact OTAs are the time for the coaches to dive deeper into various new looks/wrinkles they've been kicking around since the 90-man roster began to fill out. Just because the team shows one look during the OTAs doesn't mean that the look will make its way to the rotation come September when the games start to count.

The remaining OTAs will be on May 25, 30, 31, and June 2, 5-6, 8, 9. The mandatory minicamp will be June 13-14.

The media will receive viewing access to the OTAs on May 25, May 31, and June 8, and the entire minicamp on June 13-14.

What are some of the topics that are likely to be of interest to the fans and media alike? Here are just a few...

Personnel Deployment

Last year the Giants were dead last in deep passing play completions. This past off-season, general manager Joe Schoen made a huge push to add speed to the offense, doing so with receivers Parris Campbell and Jalin Hyatt and tight end Darren Waller.

So atop the list of things to look for is how those new players will be integrated. Will Hyatt, for example, be working mostly from the slot, or will he be working from both inside and outside?

Will Waller run a few seam patterns, something we haven't seen much of from Giants tight ends of late? What kind of routes will Campbell be asked to run? And how far along is the chemistry between quarterback Daniel Jones and these new players?

Over on defense, who is the incumbent starting safety next to Xavier McKinney? What about the starter next to Bobby Oereke at linebacker in the base defense? Will defensive coordinator Wink Martindale test out any new looks?

And who are the early candidates for the punt and kickoff return jobs?

So many questions, indeed, as the coaches try to figure out the answers. It's highly doubtful these spring workouts will provide any concrete answers, but they will at least provide some insight into the thought process.

The Running Back Rotation

Saquon Barkley isn't expected to be at the OTAs--he can't be until he either signs some sort of contract (multiyear or the franchise tag) or a participation waiver. That means the bulk of the running back reps are likely up for grabs, and it will be interesting to see how those reps get distributed.

Presumably, Matt Breida, last year's RB2, will get the lion's share. But the team no doubt wants to get a good look at rookie Eric Gray and second-year man Jashaun Corbin if there are plans to gravitate to more of a committee approach at the position moving forward.

Health Check

Every year, there is a handful of players who, during the spring, are held out of team drills because they're recovering from some sort of injury suffered the year before and/or surgery.

Two guys unlikely to partake in the non-contact workouts are receivers Sterling Shepard and Wan'Dale Robinson, who are early candidates to begin training camp on PUP.

But who else might be held out of workouts while recovering from off-season surgeries and/or injuries? Will, for example, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who dealt with a neck ailment toward the back end of the season, sit out team drills?

Paying attention to who does what could provide clues as to which players are not quite ready for full on-field work due to physical issues.

The New Offensive Line

As a reminder, the OTAs are non-contact, and the players will not be in full pads. That means any battles in the pit--offensive line vs. defensive line--will have to wait until the summer.

But we can certainly look at who plays on what unit, right? And on the offensive line, expect to see rookie John Michael Schmitz at center making the calls, as the starting center job is Schmitz's to lose.

Another position on this unit to watch for is left guard. Ben Bredeson finished the season at the position, so presumably, he's the incumbent. But if Joshua Ezedu is cleared to partake in all drills after missing part of the season due to his neck/shoulder issue, and if Shane LEmieux's foot ailment has healed, those two guys will also be in the mix.

Lastly, all eyes will likely e on right tackle Evan Neal, who begins his second year in the position. Last year Neal's struggles with flipping from the left side in college to the right in the pros were well documented, as was his knee injury. But this year, the hope is that the former Alabama product is much more comfortable working on the right side and can take an Andrew Thomas type of leap forward.

Early Starting Candidates

There's still a long way to go before the starting lineups come close to being set, but that doesn't mean we can't look to see who the front runners are for optimal playing time at certain positions.

Who, for example, is being penciled in to replace Julian Love at safety? Will it be Dane Belton, Bobby McCain, Jason Pinnock, or someone else? The early odds favor Belton, but that remains to be seen.

Same thing at the second linebacker spot. Bobby Okereke will be one of the starters, but who will be the other in the base defense? Darrian Beavers looked to be on his way to nailing down one of those starting jobs last summer until he tore his ACL. Is he healthy enough to pick up where he left off, or will veteran Jarrad Davis, a late addition to last year's roster, get the nod?

What about at cornerback? The assumption is the starters will be Adoree' Jackson and rookie Deonte Banks on the outside. But where does that leave Cor'Dale Flott and Aaron Robinson? Will they be kicked inside to compete with Darnay Holmes for the slot rotation?

Who's In and Who's Out

Every year there seems to be outside interest regarding which players are present and which are not.

Again, OTAs are voluntary. While it is in the players' best interest to be at every OTA to learn the new wrinkles, they also stand to collect any workout bonuses included in their contracts with perfect attendance. That said, a player's absence only becomes a story when he misses the mandatory minicamp, where an absence is subject to a fine.

But here's the other thing I've found throughout the years of covering the team. Just because a player isn't seen on the field when the media has access doesn't mean the player hasn't been there on other days where there's been no media access or, on the day in question, the player isn't inside the building getting treatment while the rest of the team is on the field.

In other words, take any attendance reports issued this time of year with a grain of salt.

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