7 New York Giants training camp storylines to follow

The New York Giants hold their first practice of 2024 training camp on Wednesday morning. Here are some of the storylines we will be following as the team gets ready for their Sept. 8 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

Daniel Jones

The Giants quarterback that he anticipates being fully “ready to go” on Wednesday when camp begins.

How quickly will the Giants ramp up Jones’ workload? He participated in 7-on-7 drills in spring workouts, but was held out of 11-on-11 as he rehabbed his torn ACL. Will the Giants toss him right into 11-on-11 work?

GM Joe Schoen acknowledged during a segment of ‘Hard Knocks’ that the Giants can’t afford another slow start. That would likely indicated pushing Jones as much as they can between now and the Sept. 8 season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings.

Are the kids alright?

The Giants are counting on No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers to be a difference-making wide receiver from the get-go. Nabers, though, is not the only draft pick the Giants will need production from.

• Can second-round pick Tyler Nubin earn the starting safety job vacated by Xavier McKinney? That’s what he was drafted for.
• Can third-round pick Dru Phillips win the starting nickel cornerback job? The Giants moved Cor’Dale Flott, last year’s slot cornerback, to the outside for Phillips. If he isn’t up to the task, where do the Giants turn?
• Fourth-round pick Theo Johnson may not have an every-down role at tight end, but the Giants hope he can make up for some of the production lost by the retirement of Darren Waller.
• The Giants drafted running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in Round 5. The pick has generated a lot of excitement with many thinking the Giants might have gotten a steal with Tracy. Can he live up to the hype by at least earning the RB2 role behind Devin Singletary?

Watching the progress of the draft class is always one of the intriguing parts of training camp. It is especially so this year, because the Giants need contributions quickly from several members of this class.

Evan Neal

Will Neal, who barely participated in spring workouts as he rehabbed from ankle surgery, be a full go on Wednesday? Will Neal hold the right tackle job? If he struggles or doesn’t stay healthy, how quickly will the Giants pull the plug and re-organize their offensive line?

The line was not at least somewhat settled, partially due to injuries but also partially because of the Giants’ odd decision-making, until the middle of the 2023 season.

The belief here is the Giants need to come out of training camp knowing what the configuration of their starting offensive line.

Cornerback competition

Can Cor’Dale Flott hold the job as the team’s second starting outside cornerback? If not, is the starter on the roster? Can third-round pick Dru Phillips earn the starting slot cornerback role? Who will earn the depth roles?

Entering training camp there are a lot of unknowns at this position.

Who becomes RB2?

Eric Gray (17 carries) and Jashaun Corbin (1 carry) are the only backs on the 90-man roster other than starter Devin Singletary who have touched the ball in an NFL game.

Can Gray win the job as Singletary’s primary backup? Will that go to Tracy, the intriguing fifth-round pick?

Will the Giants get nervous about all that youth and add an experienced backup before the season begins?

Is this it?

Are the Giants done making significant additions to the roster? They could still use help at cornerback, perhaps a veteran running back, and depth on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Return jobs up for grabs

Gunner Olszewski did a good job returning punts for the Giants last season. The presence of Isaiah McKenzie on the 90-man roster and the new kickoff rule mean his roster spot isn’t guaranteed.

McKenzie, a Daboll favorite from their days with the Buffalo Bills, is more useful as a kickoff returner and wide receiver than Olszewski. So, that may play to McKenzie’s advantage. The Giants used rookies Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Dante Miller as kickoff returners in the spring, along with others.

What the Giants can’t do is what they did last year — open the season gambling that they could get by with an untested player returning kicks and punts. Eric Gray struggled in a role he probably should not have been put in. There appear to be good options on the roster this time.

Let’s hope the Giants use them.