Giants vs. Lions joint practices: 11 things to watch for

The New York Giants have wrapped up their second week of training camp and now the real fun begins. On both Monday and Tuesday, they will host the Detroit Lions for joint practices before their first preseason game at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night.

Of course, the Giants are no stranger to the Lions, who hosted them on back-to-back practices last year.

Those practices didn’t start well for the Giants, who failed to match the juice and intensity of head coach Dan Campbell, a former Giant, and the Lions initially. They rebounded on Day 2 with a much more aggressive and physical practice, essentially splitting the two-day session.

Head coach Brian Daboll & Co. will have to keep that in mind on Monday or risk being left on their heels.

Here are 11 things to watch for over the next two days.

Possible fights

After weeks of beating up on each other, team’s usually practice (or play) with more intensity when facing off against an unfamiliar opponent. In years past, the Giants have been involved in some nasty fights — joint practices with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns come to mind.

Last year, the Giants and Lions nearly came to blows in each of their two joint practices but cooler heads ultimately prevailed.

As noted previously, the Lions and Campbell are going to bring the heat on the field, so the Giants had better be ready for that. But tempers can’t boil over. Neither Campbell nor Daboll want that.

Watching left tackle Andrew Thomas take on linebackers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux in practice has been a joy — and legitimate trench warfare.

That will continue on both Monday and Tuesday as Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor take on third-year edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who has recorded 21.0 sacks over his first two NFL seasons.

These matchups will provide a better gauge of where Thomas and Eluemunor are headed into the preseason.

Speaking of Brian Burns, he’ll go up against one of the best offensive tackles in football over the next two days — Penei Sewell.

Sewell was recently ranked No. 22 overall on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024 list, as voted on by his peers. That includes the likes of Dexter Lawrence, who we’ll also get to in a moment.

This will be the first opportunity to truly get a taste of what Burns and Thibodeaux bring as a unit, and what the Giants are getting this season after an electrifying trade with the Carolina Panthers.

Dexter Lawrence vs. strong iOL

The Lions don’t just have one of the best offensive tackles in football, they are stout along the interior with guards Graham Glasgow and former Giant Kevin Zeitler, and center Frank Ragnow.

There will be no training camp or preseason test for Dexter Lawrence greater than this. How he fares against this trio will be a good indicator of where he is headed into the season and just how dominant he’s capable of being.

It will also be interesting to see how the Lions choose to defend him. Do they use multiple blockers and leave Burns and Thibodeaux one-on-one, or do they risk trying to stop Dex one-on-one? It could be a preview of how other offensive coordinators gameplan this season.

The talent pool is deep in Detroit and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as one of the best at his position, being voted No. 23 overall in the top 100 by his peers.

We’ve seen second-year cornerback Deonte Banks battle rookie Malik Nabers for the past two weeks and his task gets no easier this coming week with St. Brown.

Although St. Brown will see some time in the slot — where we’ll get a look at Dru Phillips and Nick McCloud covering him — he’ll also see time outside, which is where Banks will have his opportunity. It’ll provide an up-close look at how much Banks has developed this offseason.

CB2 battle

It was believed that Cor’Dale Flott would take over as CB2 alongside Banks but Nick McCloud and Tre Hawkins weren’t ready to give up that easily.

McCloud has been impressive throughout training camp, although he’s seen more time at nickel than on the outside. However, his versatility allows defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson to move him all over — and they do.

In addition to Hawkins, David Long Jr. will also get some looks on the outside.

New kickoff rules

The Giants have tinkered with different things throughout training camp as they prepare for the NFL’s new kickoff rules, but special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial has done his best to keep things simple.

“I think everybody has this notion that you can do so much with this kickoff return scheme, and you’re drawing up, I mean, for example, I’ve drawn up 50 returns,” he said.

“Now, does that mean that I’ll be able to have all 50 come into action? I don’t believe so. I think, ultimately, the foundational piece of your kickoff return scheme has to start simple. I think a lot of people will be simple to start in preseason, and that will ultimately tell you how complex you can get with your scheme in a few games.”

Ghobrial’s very first opportunity to test some of these returns (as well as his own kickoffs) against another team and another coordinator will come next week.

Outside of the Hall of Fame Game, this will be the earliest insight into how teams may attack the new rules.

Wan’Dale Robinson in the slot

The Lions have a position battle inside at nickel, so Wan’Dale Robinson will line up against multiple defenders in the coming days. Most notably, he’ll see a heavy dose of Amik Robertson and rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr., which certainly seem like winnable matchups for the third-year pro.

Robinson is healthy and poised to play a significant role for the Giants this season, so how he produced in winnable situations will be paramount.

Offensive play-calling

Throughout the offseason and into training camp, Daboll has run offensive meetings and called offensive plays. Will that continue against Detroit in practice? And will that carry over into the Thursday night preseason game?

The Giants have certainly opened things up with Daboll calling the shots but perhaps more than that, this will present an opportunity to see offensive coordinator Mike Kafka in his new, albeit reduced, role.

It will also be an opportunity to see how aggressive Daboll tries to be against an unfamiliar defense.

All things Malik Nabers

Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has dazzled and impressed early in training camp, showing why the Giants chose him at No. 6 overall and why they believe he can be a game-changer.

Nabers has performed well against his own teammates, but these joint practices produce an entirely new challenge.

For Nabers and all other Giants rookies, this will be their first true taste of life in the NFL.

DJ and offensive motion

With Daboll calling the plays, the Giants have showcased several new looks early in training camp and a significant amount of pre-snap motion. It’s a more modernized approach to the game and has led to more downfield passing.

But the long throws don’t tell the entire story. We’ve seen Andrew Thomas go in motion to the right side, Nabers and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt moving all over the field, and rookie Tyrone Tacy Jr. used in a multitude of unique ways.

How will this play against another team?

Then there’s quarterback Daniel Jones, who is recovering from a torn ACL. No one will have more eyes on them over the next two days than DJ, and it will be important to see how he reacts against pressure from an opposing team.

Jones has been up and down throughout camp as he knocks off the rust and gets his timing down, and joint practices against the Lions will be a true indicator of where he’s at both mentally and physically.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants vs. Lions joint practices: 11 things to watch for