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[New York Giants]

Giants’ offense has rough day in first joint practice vs. Jets

The New York Giants traveled to Florham Park, N.J., for their first of two joint practices against the New York Jets on Tuesday.

The Giants were short-handed at wide receiver with Malik Nabers, Jalin Hyatt and Da’Quan Felton not practicing, along with running back Cam Skattebo and guard Evan Neal.

The absence of three receivers led to first-team reps for both Beaux Collins and Montrell Washington. The Giants and Jets first squared off in practice after individual drills and stretches; their first drill against each other was seven-on-seven.

7-on-7​

This drill ran simultaneously with the trench one-on-ones. Unlike the 11-on-11 drills, the Giants offense successfully moved the football during this period.

Russell Wilson started the drive by connecting with Theo Johnson on a quick pivot route underneath. He then connected with Collins twice in the first session; one of the passes was a beautiful 18-yard corner strike that was placed well over the top of a trailing defender. He finished his first session with an out route to Wan’Dale Robinson. Wilson went 4 of 4 before Jaxson Dart took the field.

Dart went 3 of 3, with connections to Jermaine Terry II on a stick route, Montrell Washington on an intermediate horizontal crosser, and Dante ‘Turbo’ Miller on a flare to the flat. Jameis Winston received a few snaps before Wilson returned to the field.

Wilson went 2 of 4 on his second seven-on-seven session. He started by hitting Johnson in the flat and then found Greg Dulcich on an OTB route (Over the Ball). Wilson then attempted a deep one-on-one shot to Lil’Jordan Humphrey that was not secured. The pass was high and adequate, but it was a tough play to make. He then delivered a very nice pass over the middle to Robinson, but the limited catch radius of the smaller receiver made securing the pass difficult; it fell to the deck.

Dart then went 3 for 3 on his second session: he found Zach Pascal for a short gain on an in route, connected with Dulcich on a stick to his right, and then another quick in route to Dalen Cambre. Tommy DeVito earned two plays and went two-for-two with an out to Terry and short comeback for a few yards to Cambre.

While all this was going on, the Hog Mollies were battling closer to my vantage point. I tried to write down as many notes as possible, but I was more interested in the seven-on-sevens. Here are my notes from the one-on-ones.

1-on-1: OL vs. DL​

Below are observations of the Giants’ offensive line against the Jets’ defensive line. The Giants’ offensive line held up well, generally speaking.

Marcus Mbow has looked good so far in practice against the #Jets.

Had two quality one v. one wins and held is own in pass protection in 11 on 11s.

One of his pass blocking reps was so good that Jaxson Dart was able to tuck the ball and find about 8 yards on the deck off his…

— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) August 12, 2025

• Marcus Mbow mirrored and held up well against Eric Watts
• Mbow had a second win but I failed to see the number
• Jermaine Eluemunor beat Jay Tufele
• John Michael Schmitz initially lost vs. Phidarian Mathis; he reanchored but I wouldn’t call the rep a win
• Jon Runyan defeated Eric Watts with ease on a rep
• James Hudson III was beat around the edge by Michael Clemons
• Hudson followed it up with a quality rep against a Jet (couldn’t get the number)
• Austin Schlottmann defeated Fatorma Mulbah
• Jimmy Morrissey was defeated by Derrick Nnadi
• Jake Kubas lost to Payton Page
• Josh Ezeudu lost badly — I didn’t catch the Jet player

The one-on-ones ended about midway through the period and the trenches handled combo pass blocking (twists/games/stunts). The Giants won some and lost some.

Team period: 11-on-11​

First team​

The Giants’ offense looked flat out bad in their two 11-on-11 periods prior to the red zone drill that concluded practice. The first Giants’ offensive period started on their own 20-yard line. Wilson completed one pass with the first team — a play-action rollout to Collins in the flat.

The Giants offensive line struggled to hold up. The first play was a holding penalty, the second a sack (Tufele) surrendered by Greg Van Roten, who was bull-rushed into the ground; the third play was a pass batted at the line of scrimmage, and the fourth was a Will McDonald IV sack, who cleanly beat Eluemunor.

To the Giants’ first team’s credit, they ran a weak-side halfback toss to Devin Singletary who had a great gain with an impressive cutback. Then they false started and the second-team came onto the field.

The aforementioned pass to Collins kicked off the second-session of the first team period. It was followed by a good Tyrone Tracy Jr. run. Singletary had another very good cut with a long run that would have likely went for 15+ yards. The Jets then jumped offside before Wilson threw two incomplete passes.

The first incompletion was to Darius Slayton on a vertical fade from the slot, angled toward the sideline. It appeared catchable, albeit tough. The second was an underneath pivot route in tight coverage that Robinson got his hand on but could not secure; the coverage was tight on Robinson.

The second 11-on-11 team period started at midfield and the Giants focused more on the rushing attack. Wilson and the first-team offense received ten plays. There was one completion — a hot throw after a blitz to Theo Johnson in the flat. He had two incompletions (one was a probably a sack) and he also scrambled for six yards on a rollout.

The Giants ran the football with Tracy up the middle with a few misdirections that went four-six yards, with one stopped near the line of scrimmage. Singletary had another excellent run off outside zone on a cutback; this play started the period and was noteworthy because Elijah Chatman was the fullback.

Jaxson Dart​

Jaxson Dart and the second team had more success than the first team, but most of that success came in the second session. In the first, he completed 2 of 5 passes in the first session, with a zone read handoff and a quarterback keeper. Dart connected with Ihmir Smith-Marsette for a small gain and he checked it down to Jonathan Ward for what would have been a big gain.

Miller had a few runs up the middle that gained little traction. Dart delivered an impressive ball to Washington over the top but the receiver failed to haul in the pass. Dart also fumbled a snap as he was checking at the line of scrimmage; he was not expecting the ball to be snapped.

Dart started his second session off with a beautiful corner route to Theo Johnson that would have went for 30 yards off a sail concept. He then found a quick out route to Washington out of a condensed BUNCH formation. He appeared calm and delivered with ease. He completed three more passes in the second session with just two incompletions: one was batted a the line of scrimmage, and the second a well-designed pop pass to Thomas Fidone II that was thrown a bit high, but was catchable.

Dart found Washington on a deep cross, after going through his progressions on the play. He also ended his second-session with a connection to Smith-Marsette on the sideline, after he appeared to contemplate running the football up the middle. I appreciate that he kept his eyes downfield and found the veteran for a 10+ yard gain. The second-team offense did not run the ball as well as the first team, with a few Miller attempts that were quickly bottled up.

Third team​

Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito split third-team reps. Winston’s most notable play was a check down off a Yankee Concept in the flat to Ward, which would have resulted in a solid gain. He also took a sack. DeVito missed Terry up the seam and also had a checkdown to Ward. Overall, the two quarterbacks received nine snaps between the two periods with only 5 pass plays between them (two for DeVito).

11-on-11: Red zone​

The Giants and Jets ended their joint-practice with a red-zone period, and the Giants executed well. The Giants first-team offense ran five plays in the red zone and scored three touchdowns. They started at the 18-yard line with a short run by Tracy before Wilson found Robinson underneath out of a BUNCH to the sideline for a few yards.

Those two plays set up a beautiful touchdown pass to Theo Johnson up the seam between two defenders. Wilson threaded the needle for that score and the refs put the football back at the 10yard line where Tracy hit the B-Gap behind quality blocks from James Hudson III and Jon Runyan Jr. It’s tough, sometimes, to know the extent of success on rushing plays since there’s no tackling, but that one appeared to be a score.

The ball went back to the 10-yard line and Wilson connected with Darius Slayton on a touchdown away from me to end the first-team’s efforts strongly. Slayton caught the ball between two defenders, in front of him, going horizontally. The Giants defense then took the field — Ed Valentine has you covered with that analysis.

Dart and the second team ran eight plays. There was a small scrum after the first play and then a much larger one after the second play where Dart had a designed quarterback run. Aaron Stinnie was shouting at Phidarian Mathis after the latter was on top of the former in a violent posture with some heavy shoving. But, to circle back, Dart’s first play of the period was a deep flag route to Cambre that was overthrown.

Dart would have likely been sacked on the next play, and Miller had a short run on the subsequent one. Then Dart showed his comprehension with the playbook by flipping the play to put Gunner Olszewski in a more optimal position; unfortunately, it did not work and Olszewski was hit by a Jet and then fumbled the ball.

The Giants faced third-and-goal where Dart found Ward in the flat; it’s possible that he would have spun out of the tackle and waltzed into the end zone — as he did — but the defensive back may have secured him to the ground. On the next play, Josh Ezeudu — who was hurt two plays prior but returned — committed a false start and Marcus Mbow replaced him with Daboll saying “get him out of there, get him out of there” after the penalty. Then the period was concluded with a Zach Pascal back-shoulder touchdown where the veteran receiver juggled the football and, apparently, got both feet in bounds.

The Giants’ offense finished the practice respectfully, but it still was not a great day.

Source: https://www.bigblueview.com/new-yor...has-rough-day-in-first-joint-practice-vs-jets

 

[New York Giants]

Giants-Jets joint practice, Day 2: Offense has a better day

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tuesday’s joint practice against the New York Jets was not a great one for the New York Giants’ offense. Wednesday was not dominant by any stretch of the imagination, but the Giants did have some success.

The offense continued to be without wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo, but wide receiver Jalin Hyatt and guard Evan Neal returned to practice.

Alignment notes​

The Giants usually work players who miss practice time back into action slowly. That did not seem to be the case with Neal on Wednesday. He went right back to splitting time with Greg Van Roten at right guard with the first team, and worked a significant amount of time with the second unit at left guard. Neal also took one-on-one reps against the Jets’ defensive line.

At wide receiver, Beaux Collins, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Gunner Olszewski got some first-team reps with Nabers sidelined and Hyatt returning from whatever ailment has kept him out of recent practices.

At tight end, Greg Dulcich got lots of extra work with Chris Manhertz sitting out.

At quarterback, Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito rotated series with the third unit.

Jake Kubas worked quite a bit as the second-team center.

Quarterback stats​

These are all, of course, unofficial.

• Russell Wilson: 8 of 11, 2 TDs
• Jaxson Dart: 4 of 7, 1 TD
• Jameis Winston: 1 of 2, 1 TD
• Tommy Devito: 1 of 1

Passing attack​

After not being able to generate much down the field during Tuesday’s practice, the Giants made a concerted effort to do so on Wednesday.

• Winston hit undrafted free agent wide receiver Dalen Cambre for a long touchdown on what appeared to be a blown coverage by the Jets.
• Wilson lofted a moon ball in the direction of Collins, but it fell incomplete with Collins unable to shake free of cornerback Brandon Stephens.
• Dart tossed deep shots in the directions of both Cambre and Collins, each of which fell incomplete.

Wilson hit Dulcich for a touchdown of roughly 20 yards on a seam route. His other touchdown pass came in a third-and-goal situation at the 3-yard line, a quick strike to Olszewski at the goal line.

Dart’s touchdown was to Collins. That was again roughly 20 yards, and appeared to be another coverage bust by the Jets.

Running game​

The Giants made an effort throughout practice to establish a physical tone and run the ball. Except for back-to-back productive runs by Tyrone Tracy, the second of which ended in a scrum involving Jon Runyan and Greg Van Roten of the Giants, and Will McDonald and Qwan’tez Stiggers of the Jets, they did not have much success.

What did work was a surprise element — what appeared to be the read option quarterback keeper in the red zone. Wilson scored on one from about 15 yards out, and Dart got a touchdown on a run of about 12 yards.

One-minute drill​

Practice ended with each team getting a possession from roughly their own 25-yard line. Reporters were on the opposite end of the field, so the exact yard line is a guess. The idea was to see if you could move into scoring position in that time.

Wilson completed all four of his passes, but they went for short gains. The Giants also committed a false start during the sequence. They ended up with a Jude McAtamney field goal attempt that appeared to come from 55-60 yards. It fell well short.

1-on-1: Giants’ OL vs. Jets’ DL​

• Neal had reps against Derrick Nnadi and Jay Tufele that he won. The impressive thing is that even if Neal gets pushed back a bit, once he sets his feet into the ground and anchors, a play is over. A defender is not getting through his massive frame.
• Mbow was beaten on an inside move by Will McDonald, but did well otherwise.
• John Michael Schmitz got pushed deep into the backfield on one rep by Payton Page.
• Jake Kubas ended up on the ground after getting bullied by Phidarian Mathis.
• There was a good bit of two-on-two and three-on-three involving stunts and twists. Neal and left tackle Josh Ezeudu did a nice job passing off one stunt. Greg Van Roten and Mbow successfully passed off another.

Source: https://www.bigblueview.com/new-yor...joint-practice-day-2-offense-has-a-better-day

 

[New York Giants]

Brian Burns ‘trying to take my game to a level it’s never been’

Brian Burns has had a good NFL career. In six seasons, the New York Giants edge defender has been named to two Pro Bowls. He has 54.5 career sacks, including a 12.5-sack season. He cashed in by getting a five-year, $141 million contract after last season’s trade to the Giants from the Carolina Panthers.

Yet, Burns is not satisfied. Pardon the pun, but he burns to be even better.

“I’m just trying to take my game to a level it’s never been,” Burns said following Wednesday’s joint practice vs. the New York Jets. “That requires me doing things I never did.

“I’ve been working with Dex quite a bit, talking to Dex (defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence) a lot (about) just how to manipulate body positions and try to use my length and power more and not just my speed and finesse. That’s been good to me so far so I’m going to keep working on that.”

Burns is 6-foot-5, 250 pounds. Dating all the way back to pre-draft scouting reports about him in 2019, Burns’ ability to incorporate power into his game has always been questioned. Consider this from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

Thin frame with spindly limbs. Frame might not be able to handle enough weight. Lacks functional play strength. Lacks necessary dog for consistent combat at point of attack. Gives away his position when setting edge. Allows length to go to waste, catching too many blocks with shoulders. Sticks to blocks once he loses his frame. Struggles to play through redirect blocks on inside moves. Will have issues converting speed to power at top of the rush. Needs more strength and force as hand fighter.

“Lacks necessary dog?” Burns has answered that criticism with how hard he practices and plays, and how he continues to play and produce despite being less than 100%. As poorly as last season turned out for the Giants, Burns continued to play — and play well — despite the fact that he was operating on one healthy leg.

Now, seven years into his career and having long ago established himself as a successful, respected player, Burns is continuing to work at getting better. Players should always want to learn and grow, but the reality is not all of them are truly willing to open themselves to new ideas and be uncomfortable.

Lawrence was open to new ideas when Andre Patterson became defensive line coach back in 2022, and the result was that he went from being a very good defensive tackle to perhaps the best in the game.

Now, Burns is trying to follow a similar path.

“It’s always been an uphill battle with me trying to add that [power] into my game but Dex is one of the best to do it and the way he does it – I mean, obviously he has brute strength but he’s so much smarter than that,” Burns said. “He’s such a master at manipulating body positions and of course it takes strength to do that but it also takes length and technique and that’s something that he works constantly but when I see him working and when he expressed that he wanted to help me in that area, shoot, why not? Everybody is trying to get better, so why not?”

Lawrence believes there is plenty of upside left in the 27-year-old Burns’ game.

“I think his game is unlimited, honestly,” Lawrence said. “He can speed rush you. He can power you. He can finesse you. He’s not a little guy either, so he’s got a lot to his game. He’s tapped into it more this training camp, and that’s good to see.”

Burns has had an excellent summer. As much attention as rookie No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter has gotten, Burns has also been a dominant presence since training camp began.

Burns says “God willing” this will be his best season.

“I don’t put any expectations or predictions or any of that stuff out in the open,” Burns said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the process. If I take care of everything that we’re doing right now, it’ll show.”

Head coach Brian Daboll said he shows “a couple of clips of Burns almost every day of what he’s doing at practice and the standard that he’s creating for not just his position room, for the entire team to see.”

“I think it’s important for everybody to see it,” Daboll said. “He’s had a very good camp. Not just some of the improvements that he’s made and the techniques and the things he works on diligently, but I would say how he’s approached every day.”

Daboll wasn’t done praising Burns.

“I’d say that Brian has really exemplified what we’re trying to do here starting back in April,” Daboll said. “The way he practices, the way he approaches things, I’ve been very pleased with Burns.

“He’s given us good reason to be very pleased with the way he does things day in and day out. Nothing more important than the practice field.”

Fellow edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux said Burns has “mastered his process” in an effort to be at his best.

“Outside of techniques, I would just say I play my best when I’m me,” Burns said. “When I get in my head and things – I mean that’s anybody but when I get in my head and things of that nature and I think too much, that’s not me being me so just allowing my instincts to kick in is where I’m thriving at right now.

“I feel like when I’m in my element, I’m having fun, dancing around, not too tense, that’s me at my best.”

Burns has certainly looked like he has been having fun this summer.

Source: https://www.bigblueview.com/new-yor...ing-to-take-my-game-to-a-level-its-never-been

 

[New York Giants]

Giants news, 8/15: Daboll non-committal on playing starters, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, more headlines

New York Giants headlines for Friday

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

From Big Blue View​

• Giants-Jets: Brian Daboll non-committal on playing starters Saturday
• Brian Burns ‘trying to take my game to a level it’s never been’
• Giants rookie Abdul Carter focused on growth and team chemistry
• Todd McShay mocks OT Spencer Fano to New York Giants
• Fantasy Football ‘25: Green light — players I’m targeting

Other Giant observations​

Four coaches on the hot seat | The Athletic​

1. Brian Daboll, Giants. I doubt he keeps his job if the Giants start 1-8, a realistic possibility, considering they are expected underdogs in eight of their first nine games (six of the Giants’ first eight opponents made the playoffs last year).

Co-owner John Mara has already said his patience was running thin with this regime, but the continued growth of rookie QB Jaxson Dart could buy Daboll time (considering he was hired due to his success with Josh Allen), as could a Week 1 upset over the Commanders.

Jameis Winston gives his impression of Malik Nabers​

Jameis Winston on the @thepivot talking about #Giants Malik Nabers and why he thinks he’s special.

“I can tell how hungry he is, he knows the market he’s in. He’s not listening to what happened before him. I asked him, Malik what do you want? He said I want to be the best.” pic.twitter.com/mpqORXI3TY

— The Giant Topic (@TheGiantTopic) August 14, 2025

How NFL teams approach, develop rookie QBs at training camp | ESPN.com​

One of the things coaches talk about when bringing a rookie along behind an established starter is seeing how he reacts to a surprise. If the rookie has a shot to open the season as the No. 2, then he might have to go into a game at a moment’s notice because of an injury. Some coaches try to simulate that in camp.

“There’s usually a level of anxiety at times for young players when they get thrown into the mix,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “It’s not exactly planned in terms of ‘He’s getting rep three.’ Sometimes we’ll just say, ‘Get in there.’ Then he’s calling plays in front of veterans that have done it at a high level. I think that’s important.”

Inside Marcus Mbow’s rise up Giants depth chart and reason for excitement about his future | The Record​

“He’s level-headed for sure, and I think that that’s one of his strengths,” rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart said of Mbow. “Because as a rookie you’re going to make mistakes, and there’s a lot of learning that you have to do, and I think that it’s kind of just shown his maturity. He makes a mistake, he doesn’t get flustered, he’s able to come back and answer. He’s been thrown into a lot of different situations … I know that he’s hungry, and he wants to do the best of what he does.”

Giants listening to their 340-pound voice inside | Giants.com​

In addition to eating up double teams with his physical presence, Lawrence has been a sounding board for players like Brian Burns, an established veteran, and rookie Abdul Carter, the third overall pick in the draft. The All-American out of Penn State has Lawrence breathing down his neck – literally.

“He sits right behind me in the meeting room,” Carter said. “So I’m always talking with him trying to get better. He helps me a lot.”

NY Giants OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux Says Goals Provide Direction | SI.com​

“I feel like if you don’t have any goals, you don’t have any direction. If you don’t have things set out for what you want to do, it’s hard to figure out what you’re going to do,” he said. “I like to set goals so that I can at least set a standard and say, ‘Am I playing to my standard?’ And that’s why I’ve added the film to back up not just the goals, but also the fact that you may not get 22 sacks. You may not get 100-and-something tackles, but if you fall somewhere in between that and then you have the film and the hard work and everything to back that up, then you can be considered still a top player.”

Thibs details what went wrong on his pre-draft trip to Florham Park​

"One of those tests was messing me up and I just quit it. I was like 'yeah they might not take me off that'"

Kayvon Thibodeaux shares a story on when he knew he was going to the Giants because of a bailed test with the Jets leading up to the draft: pic.twitter.com/veCwiRTpPO

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) August 14, 2025

Every NFL Team’s Most Important Remaining Position Battle | Bleacher Report​

New York Giants: No. 2 Cornerback.
Contenders: Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott. The New York Giants have a surprising battle in the secondary between Banks, who’s a first-rounder from the 2023 draft, and Flott, who’s played in the slot and on the boundary in three years with the team. Flott has quad and knee injuries that sidelined him for the Giants’ Week 1 preseason matchup with the Buffalo Bills. Banks played through the first half of that contest, but he didn’t separate himself in the competition.

Brian Flores’ lawsuit against New York Giants can proceed, Circuit Court rules | Pro Football Talk​

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that certain claims made by former Dolphins coach (and current Vikings defensive coordinator) Brian Flores should not be sent to arbitration. In a 29-page ruling, the three-judge panel found that claims made by Flores against the Giants, Broncos, Texans, and the NFL should proceed in court.

Around the league​

Landon Dickerson walking around after Eagles practice one day after knee procedure | Bleeding Green Nation

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels wants more | ESPN.com

Jerry Jones expects Micah Parsons to play in opener while he’s under contract | The Athletic

Odell Beckham Jr. says he’s ‘had conversations’ with Aaron Rodgers about joining Steelers | CBSSports.com

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice disciplinary hearing set for Sept. 30 | NFL.com

Matthew Stafford will test back with another workout on Saturday | Pro Football Talk

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Source: https://www.bigblueview.com/new-yor...rters-brian-burns-abdul-carter-more-headlines

 

[New York Giants]

New York Giants roster ranked No. 23 by ESPN

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll instructs linebacker Brian Burns (0) and linebacker Abdul Carter (51) during drills during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

For the past couple of seasons, many NFL analysts have looked at the New York Giants, scoffed, and dismissed them as having one of the league’s worst rosters.

It is hard to argue with that assessment when the results of the last two seasons have been a combined 9-25 record.

As the 2025 season nears, though, there is a belief that while the Giants may not have taken a monumental leap to becoming an immediate championship contender, there has been improvement that should give fans hope.

New roster rankings from ESPN reflect that.

The Giants are 23rd in ESPN’s overall rankings. That isn’t fantastic, but it also keeps them out of the bottom quarter of the league.

The Giants’ highest-ranked group is, of course, edge defender. With Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns ESPN ranks the Giants edge group as the second-best in the NFL behind the Pittsburgh Steelers.

ESPN says:

The Giants have a strong case for the top spot in this category. Brian Burns sits seventh in the NFL with 54.5 sacks since entering the league in 2019, while Kayvon Thibodeaux ranks 21st with 17 over the past two seasons. And as if that’s not enough, New York used the No. 3 pick this year on Abdul Carter. It’s extremely rare for a team to have three first-round picks at the same position, but New York will certainly get creative in finding ways to keep all three busy this season.

Here are the Giants’ position-by-position rankings:

• Quarterback: No. 25
• Running back: No. 25
• Wide receiver: No. 21
• Tight end: No. 28
• Offensive line: No. 28
• Interior defensive line: No. 6
• Edge: No. 2
• Off-ball linebacker: No. 16
• Cornerback: No. 17
• Safety: No. 16

Is that a fair assessment entering the season, Giants fans!

Source: https://www.bigblueview.com/new-york-giants-news/132539/new-york-giants-roster-ranked-no-23-by-espn

 

[New York Giants]

Giants vs. Jets, preseason Week 2: Five things to watch

Jaxson Dart

The annual preseason showdown between the New York Giants and New York Jets might not be called the “Snoopy Bowl” anymore. Even so, it’s still the primary venue for the intercity rivalry between the two teams.

The game used to carry more importance as it was always the third preseason game. It was the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season when teams would play starters into the second half as well as do some rudimentary game planning.

The change to a three-game preseason made that a thing of the past and this year, the Giants and Jets are playing their second preseason game. The Giants had an impressive showing in the first preseason game, with efficient offense and a disruptive defense leading to a 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills.

So what are we watching for this week?

How much will the starters play?​

This is probably the biggest question heading into the game.

“We have an idea,” Daboll said on Thursday. “We’ll do our meetings at the end of the day and make our decision on what we’re going to do.

Of course, Daboll has been cagy regarding playing time. His response to that question before the Buffalo game was similarly vague.

“Yeah, so the guys that can play will play,” he said. “And we’ll decide that after practice today.”

Daboll has to balance the need to get the starters ready to play against the Washington Commanders in Week 1 with the need for them to be healthy for the start of the season. It’s a tough balance to strike, and it’s complicated by a number of players getting dinged up through training camp and the first preseason game. It’s further complicated by the fact that the two teams had intense joint practices this week, and the Giants have a short turnaround before they face the New England Patriots on Thursday.

So we’ll be watching to see whether the starters play sparingly (if at all) this game, relying on the joint practices before playing more on Thursday. Or perhaps the team is looking at using a steady ramp-up in playing time, and trusting the 17 days between the final preseason game and Week 1 to get the team rested and ready to play.

We’ll find out later today.

Will Evan Neal play?​

We’ll get to the question on the national media’s mind in a minute.

Whether, and how much, Evan Neal plays is a big one, and related to the question about the starters.

Neal didn’t play against the Bills after not participating in the last practice before the game. He returned to practice in the second joint practice, and was thrown right into the mix. He was the second team left guard, as well as split reps with Greg Van Roten as the starting right guard. Neal could be in for a long evening if he plays with both the “starting” and second team offensive lines.

How he plays (assuming he does) is almost as important as if he plays at all.

Neal wasn’t singled out in 11-on-11 periods by reporters in attendance (usually a good sign), and he reportedly held his own in one-on-one drills.

Neal had reps against Derrick Nnadi and Jay Tufele that he won. The impressive thing is that even if Neal gets pushed back a bit, once he sets his feet into the ground and anchors, a play is over. A defender is not getting through his massive frame. – Ed Valentine.

Neal has also had quality reps against Abdul Carter in practice, and given that one-on-one drills typically favor defenders, that’s impressive. At the very least it shows that he can handle power as well as speed from the guard position.

We’ll have to see how it translates into a live game situation.

Can Jaxson Dart put on a show for the hometown crowd?​

Despite describing his own performance as “mid” (specifically “6,7”) the Giants’ rookie quarterback was the most impressive young passer in the NFL in week one. Perhaps the most impressive part was that as well as he played, there were things that could be improved upon.

The national media has been trying to manifest a quarterback controversy in Giants land since Dart’s game against the Bills, though it’s likely to no avail. The Giants are committed to Dart’s long-term development, and his play in the preseason might be encouraging but it probably won’t push him into direct competition with Russell Wilson.

Dart, and the Giants’ offense as a whole, had a shaky performance against the Jets’ defense in practice. Will that continue? And if it does, will the national media turn on him and revert to their pre-draft takes that he was over-drafted? On the other hand, how much higher will the fervor grow if Dart has another standout performance?

I’d like to see him continue to build on what he showed against Buffalo, and perhaps slow down in certain circumstances.

I’m also looking to see who gets on the field first, Dart or Jameis Winston. Dart got almost all of the second-team snaps against the Jets in practice, and now I want to see if that continues. It’s even possible that Dart could get the start if the team rests the starters (save players like Neal or Jalin Hyatt), which could be an electric moment given that it’s Dart’s first home game as a Giant.

On the other hand, we’re still expecting that Winston will be the primary backup quarterback for the regular season.

Will the Giants use these preseason games to get Dart valuable game experience against better opponents and trust Winston’s experience to get him ready as a backup? Or, will Winston get those second-team reps at some point either today or Thursday?

Will Miller Time continue?​

Dante “Turbo” Miller was the Giants’ offensive MVP in the first game and the only player on either team to eclipse 100 yards of offense.

Can he back up his own performance with another big day? Miller is clearly an explosive athlete (we’ve known that since last year), and he showed impressive hands as well as vision and contact balance in space. He’s well on his way to forcing the Giants to carry four running backs, or perhaps even force a tough cut (or trade) if he can continue to outshine Devin Singletary. We need to see the Giants be more explosive in general, and Miller is one of their most explosive offensive weapons.

That said, I would like to see Miller get more done on the ground. Frustratingly, his best run was called back due to a penalty and the Giants struggled to move the ball on the ground overall.

How well (or poorly) the Giants run the ball will be another big thing to watch overall. The Jets gave up a lot of rushing touchdowns last year (22, fourth-most in the NFL), but they also allowed just 4.1 yards per carry (T-fourth-fewest). It could bode well for the team if they can move the ball on the ground against the Jets’ formidable defensive front. That could also be big for Neal if he gets the start for the Giants and helps them move the ball on the ground.

Battle on the bubble​

The Giants’ training camp has been one of the most competitive we’ve seen in a long time. They’re almost sure to cut players who will be snapped up by other rosters, which is a (mostly) welcome change from the last several seasons.

In particular, the depth at wide receiver and cornerback is going to be fascinating to watch.

Starting at wide receiver, I want to see if Hyatt is able to get on the field for the game after missing time with an injury. If he does, I want to see how he’s used. Despite repeatedly getting open as a vertical threat in 2024, he wasn’t a big factor in the Giants’ short-range passing attack. He mentioned earlier in the offseason that he spoke to the coaches about being moved around the offensive formation, and that could be something to watch for.

Down the depth chart, Beaux Collins made a splash early on as an undrafted rookie, while Lil’Jordan Humphry seems to have a good rapport with Dart. Dalen Cambre has been impressive and was a special teams ace in college. Montrell Washington is exciting with the ball in his hands, while Gunner Olszewski has been getting more looks at receiver.

Each of those players also has warts on their game and reasons why they’re on the bubble, but each has also flashed over the course of training camp.

On the flip side, there ever-present concern over the depth of the defensive secondary has reared it’s ugly head.

Tae Banks and Cor’Dale Flott are competing for a starting spot, with the runner-up becoming a very high quality CB3. But there’s quite a few questions behind them. Tre Hawkins could have been the CB4, but he’s been dealing with an injury and his status is unknown. Nic Jones has been tormenting Dart in practice and got reps with the starters when both Banks and Flott were unable to practice. He seems to be in line to start this week, and could be CB2 with Banks, Flott, and Hawkins all dinged.

Whether any of the other corners on the roster are able to step up and distinguish themselves this week. Doing so would take pressure off the front office, though you can never have enough cornerbacks so the secondary may need to be reinforced further before the start of the season.

Source: https://www.bigblueview.com/new-york-giants-training-camp/132518/giants-vs-jets-five-things-to-watch