New York Giants training camp preview: All eyes on Daniel Jones

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants will open 2024 training camp with veterans reporting Tuesday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Here’s a closer look at a few storylines:

Biggest Question: How will Daniel Jones look coming off a torn ACL?

All indications are that Jones will be fully cleared for the start of training camp. He felt “really good” in the spring, when he participated in 7-on-7 drills, and his summer went off without any major setbacks. At this point, it’s not a matter of whether Jones will be on the field in live drills. That seems a certainty. It’s how he will look when he’s on the field as the summer progresses.

Running is a big part of Jones’ game. How well will he be able to move 10 months after surgery? It’s not uncommon for players to say that it takes a year to feel like they’re back to their old selves. Jones said he had no physical limitations last month and his metrics were back to where they were prior to the injury. Now he just needs to prove it can hold up.

Player with the most to prove: Right tackle Evan Neal.

It has been a rough first two seasons for the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. His pass block win rate of 82.2% is 62nd of 66 qualifying tackles over the past two years. That is not good enough. The Giants know it and already have Neal’s potential replacement and a contingency plan on the roster in Jermaine Eluemunor.

They currently have Eluemunor as the starting left guard, but the moment Neal struggles, this regime has shown over the past few years they are not afraid to pull the trigger and make a change. This is clearly Neal’s last chance. The Giants are holding out hope — they thought Neal played his best game last year right before his season ended with an injury in Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Fiercest fantasy-relevant battle: Darius Slayton vs. Jalin Hyatt.

Malik Nabers was drafted to be the No. 1 receiver. He’s going to get every opportunity and target possible. Wan’Dale Robinson is a second-round pick who is pegged to be the slot receiver. That means Slayton, this team’s leading receiver in four of the past five years, is going to be battling Hyatt for playing time. Both will play, but how much?

The best indicators for fantasy relevancy are snaps and targets. Slayton and Hyatt are each capable of making big plays and putting up numbers, and Hyatt appears to have put on some muscle to become more of a complete receiver. Last year, the 2023 third-round pick was a one-trick pony with 37% of his routes being labeled “go” routes by NextGen Stats. Will the Giants have more in store this year?

Breakout player to watch: Running back Eric Gray.

His rookie season was a wash. Gray barely saw action on offense (65 snaps) and his primary role was being miscast as a punt returner, even though he wasn’t overly successful at that in college. He had 17 carries just for 48 yards (2.8 ypc) and six receptions for 22 yards in his first professional season. But the Giants don’t have any proven commodity behind starting running back Devin Singletary, signed this offseason as a free agent from the Houston Texans. It’s Gray, fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr., Jashaun Corbin, Dante Miller and Jacob Saylors.

The opportunity is there for Gray, a one-cut back who had success at Oklahoma, to have a significant role this season if he has a strong training camp. He’s likely first up behind Singletary coming into training camp with a year of experience under his belt. Tracy also has a chance to earn a role with a strong summer.