Rain, Penalties and a Rookie Standout: Takeaways From the Giants' First Padded Practice

A soggy first day in pads brought 14 penalties and some post-practice pushups — but it also brought another strong showing from rookie linebacker Arvell Reese.

Jul 30, 2026; White Sulphur Springs, WV, USA; The New York Giants held their first training camp practice in pads on Monday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last month, New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh spoke about the excitement of getting to training camp, where it would be all football, all the time. And as part of it being “all football,” the team had to deal with the elements, specifically a significant downpour that drenched much of the team’s first padded practice.  

“(Former) college (football) coach Tom Reed used to always tell us every single day, rain, sleet, snow, hot, it's a great day for football,” Harbaugh said to open his post-practice press briefing. “We'd look at each other, really not that great a day, but he would say every day is a great day for football.

“And that was kind of a little bit of the theme out here. I mean, it's raining pretty good. And the guys are out there dealing with the elements, obviously impactful, but we'll have to play in that at some point in time. So, we got a good day in the rain, and that was positive.”

Well, mostly positive. One of the more notable parts of the practice was a barrage of penalties by both sides of the ball—14 according to unofficial counts. But Harbaugh wasn’t too upset by the sloppiness.

“I think you've got the elements a little bit and you've got the first day in pads,” he said. “So, it's not really unexpected, but we'll be working on it.”

They better be. Last year, the Giants racked up the fifth-highest total penalty yardage in the league (1,075 yards), and had the second most pre-snap penalties on offense (41) and were tied for the league lead (with Denver and Tennessee) for the most pre-snap penalties on defense (13).

For Harbaugh, it’s still early enough in camp to clean up some of the sloppiness, and that will likely be a point of emphasis moving forward. 

Here are some more takeaways from Monday’s first day in pads.

Padding the Schedule

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As anticipated, Harbaugh is going to have the players work in pads for the majority of the week, with padded practices believed to be on tap for Tuesday and Wednesday, in accordance with the CBA, which allows teams to hold a maximum of three consecutive calendar days in pads.

“The second week is the big week of camp. This is your opportunity to really grow as a football team,” Harbaugh said.

Article 23, Section 7 of the CBA allows for a maximum of 16 fully padded practices during training camp. Padded practices are capped at 2.5 hours each.

“You build your foundation in training camp for your team. The second week should be where you cover the most miles, gain the most ground. We want to put the most miles behind us as far as developing the foundation of our team this week,” he said.

“This is just a go-to-work week. Just get to work and get better. That's really what we're focusing on this week. Not too much evaluating, just more really trying to build this week.”

Arvell Reese Shines

New York Giants linebacker Arvell Reese | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese had himself an impressive showing, particularly in coverage.

“I think he looked good today from what I could see,” Harbaugh said. “I can't wait to see the tape, but he's playing really well. He's been playing well the whole camp since he got here.”

During the rookie minicamp back in May, Harbaugh spoke about how Reese rarely makes mistakes, a point he reiterated on Monday.

“You see the talent, obviously. I think he's very sharp for a first-year guy,” Harbaugh said.

“He gets things right pretty much all the time, makes very few mistakes. He's a very serious-minded guy, and he's very determined. I mean, he's doing things well.”

Defensive lineman D.J. Reader was also very impressed with what Reese has shown.

“The kid has a real chance to be special,” he said. “You don't really get a chance to see kids that size move around like how he does at every different position, really run around and be smart. He stays quiet and really tries to learn. He's got a real chance to be really, really good.”  

Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who runs into Reese during team drills, also spoke glowingly of his young teammate.

“He's big, strong, physical. I think he's a great football player. I think Arvell is ‘see ball, get ball,’” Tracy said.

“He's going to run fast, he's going to hit hard, and he's going to be around the ball at all times. So, I think that's probably the best way to describe Arvell.”

Defensive Discipline

Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, in an attempt to instill discipline in his players, had them doing 10 pushups for every penalty they committed during the practice once the session was over.

“We had four, but we've got to work out a system here,” said defensive lineman D.J. Reader. “I think we need to – we get a turnover to get those 10 back,” he said.  

Or they could just not have the penalties and spare themselves the post-practice pushups.

Miscellaneous Notes

Wide receiver Malik Nabers took part in some early drills during practice before calling it a day, likely due in part to the rain that hit the area and made the turf slicker than usual. Nabers is continuing to ramp up to the point where he’ll be able to take the bulk of his regular reps.  

Rookie receiver Malachi Fields has been having a nice camp so far in terms of getting open and coming down with the ball. So too has Calvin Austin III, who Harbaugh said “has had a heck of a camp.” 

The Giants are back to work on Tuesday at The Greenbrier Sports Performance Center.

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