Cover 3: Takeaways from Week 1 of training camp

Matt Citak: While John and Dan focused on the offense, I decided to take a look at the defensive side of the ball, specifically how the young secondary has looked through the first week of training camp. Let’s start with perhaps the most important person in the Giants’ defensive backfield, Deonte Banks. The second-year corner has found himself in one-on-one coverage with Malik Nabers almost every day, with these matchups being some of the best of training camp so far. The rookie wide receiver has had his moments, but so has Banks. Even when Nabers has made some impressive catches, it came on plays in which Banks has had tight coverage. Considering the slate of top wide receivers Banks will face this season, he is gaining great practice going up against Nabers this summer.

Elsewhere among the corners, rookie Dru Phillips has played well. Based on what we saw in the “Hard Knocks” season finale, it’s clear the coaching staff thinks very highly of the corner out of Kentucky. Phillips is in the running to be the team’s starting slot corner, and so far in camp, he’s played well in both coverage and in the run game. He’s gotten his hands on the ball a few times and has made some strong plays to stop runs in the backfield, as well. I’m excited to see how Phillips does next week when the Detroit Lions come to town for two joint practices before the preseason opener. Nick McCloud has also had a strong start to camp, both in the slot and on the outside. McCloud has broken up several passes in the first few practices, where his versatility has been on full display.

Moving on to the safeties, the player that’s really stood out this first week has been Dane Belton. The third-year player has had a knack of finding the football in his first two seasons, despite playing limited snaps on defense. That has carried over to training camp, as Belton had an interception near the goal line in one practice and has looked good in coverage throughout the first week. Rookie safety Tyler Nubin has been out with a calf injury, which has led to increased reps with the starting defense for Belton, who has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Once Nubin returns, which coach Brian Daboll indicated should be soon, it will be interesting to see how playing time with the starting defense is distributed between the rookie, Belton and Jason Pinnock.

The other safety that deserves some recognition here is Gervarrius Owens. The 24-year-old did not play a single snap on defense last year, but through the first week of his second training camp, Owens is making a case for some playing time. He’s had two interceptions in the first week along with a few more pass breakups. Similar to the situation with Belton and Nubin, Owens has taken advantage of the increased reps he’s received with veteran Jalen Mills missing the first week of practice. If Owens can take a step in his development this season, then the Giants’ safeties could prove to be the deepest position group on the roster.