The New York Giants begin Phase III of their offseason program, commonly known as OTAs, on Tuesday. That means John Harbaugh will be able to get his team on the practice field and conduct 11-on-11 work, albeit within the offseason practice rules laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
That makes Tuesday another first in Harbaugh’s maiden season as Giants head coach after 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Giants’ OTA schedule will be as follows:
May 19-21, May 27-29, June 1-4.
The offseason
program will conclude with mandatory minicamp June 8-10.
Here are some of the storylines to watch over the next few weeks.
What does practice look like?
Media will have access to three of the 10 OTAs, as well as the mandatory minicamp. Harbaugh, an old-school coach, is expected to push players harder than what many of them are accustomed to. What does that look like on the practice field?
Does it mean front-line players take more reps than we are used to seeing? We saw in rookie minicamp that draft picks took on-field reps, a change from recent years with the Giants. Does it mean more 11-on-11? More conditioning?
Kayvon Thibodeaux said at Monday’s Town Hall that playing for Harbaugh is “hard” because the coach is always testing limits.
OTAs will give us a glimpse of what that looks like.
Defensive line alignment
After trading an unhappy Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Giants quickly remade their defensive line.
New York added D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, and Sam Roberts in free agency, and claimed Zacch Pickens off waivers. They drafted Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round. They still have holdovers Darius Alexander, Roy Robertson-Harris, and Chauncey Golston.
What is all of this going to look like on the field? Who is aligning where? What does the early depth chart look like?
OTAs will give us an indication of how the Giants are planning to deploy their rebuilt defensive line.
A competition at left guard?
Jon Runyan Jr. has been the starting left guard for the past two seasons, and he remains at the top of the depth chart. He is the starter. Until he’s not.
After an active offseason of remaking the depth on the offensive line, the Giants have options at left guard should they want to explore them.
Daniele Faalele has never played left guard, but he started at right guard for Harbaugh in Baltimore the past two seasons. He would likely have beeen the starter at that spot in New York had the Giants not drafted Sisi Mauigoa.
The Giants surprisingly have given Evan Neal another chance to revive his career. Could he win the job? How about Josh Ezeudu if the Giants let him concentrate on playing guard? Lucas Patrick has 65 NFL starts at center and both guards across a nine-year career. Could he push to be more than a key interior offensive line reserve? What about second-year man Marcus Mbow or rookie J.C. Davis? Could one of them get moved inside?
Runyan is an adequate NFL starting guard, not more or less. The Giants could save $9 million against the salary cap if they were to decide they could get the same level of play for less from someone else.
The division of left guard reps over the next few weeks might give us a clue as to whether they are considering that.
- Ex-Giant believes the future is bright — at guard — for No. 10 pick Francis Mauigoa
- Giants’ GM Joe Schoen: A ‘pipe dream’ to land Arvell Reese and Sisi Mauigoa
- What can we expect from the Giants’ Day 1 and 2 draft picks as rookies?
Can Colton Hood be a Week 1 starter?
When the Giants drafted Arvell Reese No. 5 overall, Harbaugh immediately said Reese would be a starting off-ball linebacker next to Tremaine Edmunds. When they drafted Mauigoa No. 10, Harbaugh immediately said Mauigoa was the right guard.
When they drafted Hood, a cornerback, No. 37 overall in Round 2, Harbaugh did not promise that hood would be a starter from Day 1.
The Giants have an opening at cornerback after losing Cor’Dale Flott to the Tennessee Titans in free agency. They signed former first-round pick Greg Newsome II, who has struggled the past couple of seasons, to compete for that job. They still have their own former first-round pick Deonte Banks.
The belief here is that Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson will give Hood every chance to win that starting job. Honestly, they have to be crossing their fingers that he does.
Employing the pass rush
With Brian Burns, 2026 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter, 2022 No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, and 2026 No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese the Giants have an embarrassment of riches as potential stand-up pass rushers. How will Wilson deploy them? It is unlikely we will see everything Wilson has in mind this spring, but we will get an idea.
Opportunity at wide receiver
No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers is not expected to practice until at least late in training camp as he continues an arduous recovery from a pair of surgeries for a torn ACL. Veteran Darius Slayton will not participate in spring workouts as he recovers from core muscle surgery.
That means we will get a good look at newly-signed veteran wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin over the next few weeks. Rookie Malachi Fields, too.
It also means there will be plenty of opportunity for players competing for the final one or two spots on the depth chart to show what they can do.
That group includes Dalen Cambre, Beaux Collins, Xavier Gipson, Ryan Miller, Isaiah Hodgins, and — yes — Jalin Hyatt. Can one or more of those players take advantage of the extra reps?
- NY Giants UDFAs: Can Ben Mann replace Casey Kreiter as long snapper?
- NY Giants UDFA OL Ryan Schernecke a ‘real guy’ with a real chance to stick
- NY Giants UDFAs: Can DT Ben Barten fit into the Giants’ defensive line?
Which UDFAs will impress?
There are almost always a couple of undrafted free agents who work their way to the 53-man roster. Who will it be this time around?
Cornerback Thaddeus Dixon has already lost his opportunity after suffering an Achilles injury.
Could Ben Mann win the long-snapping job from journeyman Zach Triner? The fact that the Giants signed him as a priority free agent tells you they think it’s possible.
Can Dominic Zvada win the placekicking competition with Jason Sanders and Ben Sauls? That will be a fascinating story all the way through training camp.
Could running back Damon Bankston take a practice squad spot away from Dante Miller or Eric Gray?
Can Division II offensive lineman Ryan Schernecke make the leap to the NFL?
Can one of the two undrafted defensive tackles on the roster, Anquin Barnes and Ben Barten, stick?
- NY Giants UDFAs: Can RB/KR Damon Bankston open eyes in training camp?
- UDFA placekicker Dominic Zvada could ‘make some noise’ for NY Giants this summer
What does the offense look like?
The Giants’ offense will look different than it did during the Brian Daboll/Mike Kafka era. We are likely to see a more physical, run-oriented offense. The next few weeks give us a glimpse of how that will look.
A few things I will be watching when I have the chance:
- How are the Giants deploying Isaiah Likely? I expect to see a fair amount of him aligned as a big slot receiver replacing the 5-foot-8 Wan’Dale Robinson.
- How comfortable does Mauigoa look at right guard?
- How heavily does it look like the Giants will rely on newly-signed fullback Patrick Ricard?
- I am expecting play-action to be a passing game staple. Is there is a noticeable uptick in how often the Giants seem to use it?
- With Cam Skattebo’s recovery from a dislocated ankle going more slowly than anticipated, can Tyrone Tracy prove to Harbaugh that he needs to be more than an afterthought in the backfield rotation?
