Who Stood Out at Giants' Mandatory Minicamp Day 2?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – When John Harbaugh was hired by the New York Giants as their head coach, he faced a lot of challenges the moment he walked in the door.

The biggest one was trying to eradicate the losing mentality that had settled into the walls of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center’s first floor, which houses the football team. The team, which has many players who were here before Harbaugh, always felt they were good enough to compete but, unfortunately, lacked the structure and confidence to live up to their talents.

Harbaugh has come in and changed that, starting with the mentality.

“The thing I like about this team, probably you meet everybody where they're at,” the head coach said when speaking about changing that losing mentality.

“With the team, you just kind of see where you're at and where you need to go, but I really like the mentality of the team here. I think the mentality from day one has been really, really good.”

One sign that Harbaugh, in particular, took as a positive was the number of questions the team asked during meetings, a sign that showed him they desire structure and being on the same page.

“We had an in-depth conversation in special teams meeting this morning about one of our coverage rules, and guys weren't sure about it. That's what we want; we want them to ask questions.

“When someone asks you a question, whether you're a coach or a player, don't feel like you're being questioned. It's not an interrogation; you're being asked, and someone wants to know something.

“We want to be on the same page. We want to be clear about everything. So we’ve tried to encourage that, and I just feel like they've done a good job with that.”

It’s shown on the field. The Giants have optimized their time with the coaches by taking part in large volumes of snaps, suggesting they're further along, given they’re a team still trying to nail down the basics of the new systems brought in by this coaching staff.

But this is only the beginning. Harbaugh said the final day of the mandatory minicamp will be more of a mental day than anything else before the team is sent off for the next seven weeks to rest up before training camp.

“We have a long way to go, but now our arrow is pointing towards training camp,” he said. “I'm proud of the guys. They’ve done a nice job, and onto the next thing.”

Thibs Crashes the Party

Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) answers questions from the press after the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has quietly been one of the bright spots in this camp, had a playful moment when he crashed head coach John Harbaugh’s post-practice press briefing.

The exchange went like this:

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: How do you feel about that defensive front?

JOHN HARBAUGH: How do I feel about the defensive front? The Thibodeaux guy has got me a little concerned back there. He looks shorter to me. Oh, there he is right there (laughter).

Just so you know, this is par for the course for this guy right here. He is the number one question asker in all the meetings. Did you guys know that? Top question asker.

Q. What's next for the group?

JOHN HARBAUGH: He's going to be your crowd here someday.

KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I'll be too rich for that, Coach.

Later, taking his turn at the podium, a humbled Thibodeaux at times seemed embarrassed by the verbal love he’s gotten the last two days from his coach and from teammate Brian Burns.

“The work is the work,” he said. “I think I've been putting in work and people are seeing it. I appreciate it. It's hard to compliment people in this league. This is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ league. For me, I just try to keep getting better every day, and I'm happy that they can see that.”

But seriously, kudos to Thibodeaux, who this spring could have skipped the OTAs and minicamp rather than put his future financial status at risk. That he put the team above himself is undoubtedly appreciated not only by his head coach but also by his teammates.

Rookie Lesson

Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Arvell Reese (52) answers questions from the press after the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Arvell Reese doesn’t say much, instead preferring to soak up all the information he can about his new team.

That includes the history of the franchise’s great linebackers like Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, both of whom spoke to the team on Monday after practice.

“I'm definitely going to have to do my homework,” he said. “I already know a lot about Lawrence Taylor just from growing up, just hearing about him and seeing the highlight tapes and people talking about him.

“I don't really know too much about Carson, but he gave us a good note, though. He just mentioned how, like, if we plan on winning anything, we've got to play together.

“He said, when they were playing back in the day, and they were one-on-one, he said, it was just a bunch of guys playing for the love of the player next to them. So, yeah, I think that was a good little nugget he gave us.”

Hopefully, Reese will also be able to get hold of Carson’s highlight tapes, as the Hall of Famer was the very definition of a blue-collar, hard-nosed linebacker during his day.

Participation Report

As anticipated, outside linebacker Abdul Carter (ankle) was among the players not present during Day 2 as he heals up from the ankle injury suffered on Monday.

He joined receivers Malik Nabers (knee), Beaux Collins (unknown) and Darius Slayton (sports hernia); defensive linemen Sam Roberts (unspecified surgery) and Roy Robertson-Harris (Achilles); offensive linemen Lucas Patrick and Jake Kubas (both unknown ailments); inside linebacker Cam Jones (unknown ailment); and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr (personal).

The Giants were also a little light at tight end with Thomas Fidone II and Theo Johnson not taking part in the practice thanks to undisclosed ailments.

Johnson was spotted working with a trainer at the start of the first day of the minicamp before joining in.

Play of the Day

Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) participates in drills during the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. | Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

Jaxson Dart, who had struggled with the deep ball on Monday–and for most of the spring in the practices open to the media–hit receiver Odell Beckham Jr for a deep pass that turned into a touchdown against rookie cornerback Colton Hood on a busted coverage.

Beckham, who’s had an up-and-down showing since returning to the team that drafted him, sent out a salute of sorts to the sideline where team co-owner John Mara, with whom the receiver has a special bond, was standing.

Mara, who has been battling cancer, has been able to make it outside to watch the last two practices, a very good sign for the 71-year-old team co-owner.

Other Takeaways/Notes

New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Cornerback Deonte Banks, who has had a really nice spring so far, picked off a pass thrown by Brandon Allen (who has not). Speaking of Allen, he overthrew a pass that Elijah Campbell picked off.

In a true battle of the “giants,” tight end Isaiah Likely snatched a ball at its high point against Tremaine Edmunds in an 11-on-11 ball over the middle. Likely later beat Dru Phillips for a touchdown pass.

Calvin Austin III came up with a contested catch against Elijah Campbell.

Dalen Cambre made a pretty one-handed diving catch on a Jameis Winston pass.

Dominic Zvada converted all of his field goal attempts for a second straight day, further solidifying his lead in the kicking competition.

Running back Cam Skattebo, taking his first 11-on-11 reps since his ankle injury, caught a screen pass and, in true Skattebo fashion, was fired up about it.

The Giants and Dolphins will have one joint practice before their Week 2 preseason game on August 22. That would make Thursday, August 20, the most likely date for the practice.

Up Next

The Giants are set to close out their three-day mandatory camp with a shorter walkthrough practice set for 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday. It will also be the first time that the assistant coaches will meet the media.

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