Seven Things to Watch at Giants’ Joint Practices with Lions

In retrospect, last year’s joint practices between the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions should have been the Giants’ first warning sign that their roster wasn’t quite up to snuff with their fellow NFC competition.

In those two practices held at Allen Park, Michigan, the Lions were light years ahead of the Giants in terms of fundamentals and physicality. Meanwhile, the former team would come within inches of a Super Bowl berth while the latter limped to a disappointing 6-11 record and an offseason filled with questions.

Those questions remain today as head coach Brian Daboll looks to use this week as a litmus test to see just how far the team has come after weeks of spring practices and nine training camp sessions.

“Good work against another team,” Daboll said when asked what he hoped to get out of the joint practices. “Got a lot of respect for (Head Coach) Dan (Campbell). We’ve been friends for a long time. Try to practice the right way with one another, like we do against our team. Staying off the ground. Doing things the right way. So it’ll be good work.”

The chance for the Giants to go against the Lions should offer some early clues as to whether most of what has been seen thus far in training camp is real or a mirage. Here are a few things that are sure to be among the most interesting highlights.

1) The Giants tackles vs. Aidan Hutchinson.

In the 1-on-1 drills pitting the offensive line against the defensive front, it’s literally been no contest, as the defensive side of the ball has dominated. Even left tackle Andrew Thomas, who has at least managed to score some draws and the occasional win, hasn’t found it easy.  

It would be surprising to see Hutchinson against Thomas; the more likely matchup to watch will be Hutchinson against Jermaine Eluemunor on the other side. Although there won’t be any live tackling, one would at least want to see the tackles get in Hutchinson’s way to give the quarterback time to throw.

2) Giants interior offensive line vs. Lions defensive front.

If one matchup is worrisome, it’s the Giants’ interior offensive line, which is on its second iteration thanks to the John Michael Schmitz shoulder ailment. The projected interior should see Greg Van Roten at center, flanked by Jon Ruyan, Jr, and Aaron Stinnie. Whether that interior can hold up against a very good Lions front will be very telling. 

3) Deonte Banks/Cor’Dale Flott vs Amon-ra St. Brown 

Deonte Banks has mostly seen Malik Nabers in practice, and Nabers has often gotten the better of his teammate. Meanwhile, on the other side, Flott has been up and down in his quest to nail down the CB2 job. 

St. Brown figures to go more against Banks, but there could be some snaps in which Flott gets a chance to go against the best the Lions have.

4) Daniel Jones vs. Lions pass coverage

The Lions revamped its defensive secondary by trading for Carlton Davis, signing free-agent Amik Robinson, and drafting Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. Jones, for his part, has looked up and down in team drills as he works to perfect his timing with his receivers. 

The good news is that head coach Brian Daboll, who has been calling the plays on offense, has been experimenting with pre-snap motion and shifts, all of which are designed to help the quarterback make better and faster reads. We’ll see if that stuff finds its way into these practices and how well Jones does in picking apart the Lions’ defense.    

5) Terrion Arnold vs. Malik Nabers 

Like Nabers, Arnold, the Lions’ first-round pick (No. 24 overall), has been turning heads so far in camp as their CB2. The two rookies going against each other should make for a spirited competition and be a very telling sign that what NAbers has shown thus far in Giants camp has not been a mirage. 

6) Kayvon Thibodeaux/ Brian Burns vs. Penei Sewell

Sewell, one of the best tackles in football, and Thibodeaux were once teammates at Oregon, so they know each other very well. The two former college teammates are likely to lock horns against one another, but so too will Burns, who has very much come as advertised.  

Sewell, meanwhile, had his best season last year, posting a 98.4 pass-blocking efficiency rating and being credited for allowing just one sack in 674 pass-blocking snaps. He’ll be tested by Thibodeaux and Burns for sure as the Lions will also have to figure out how to keep Dexter Lawerence from being disruptive on the interior.

7) The new kickoff return rule.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters earlier in the camp that they would probably devote more time to the new kickoff rule when the Lions came to town. 

With that being the plan, we should be able to see the complete operation in action as well as start to get a better idea as to whom special teams coordinator Micahel Ghobrial is leaning toward for the kickoff return job.