EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants practiced Monday in full pads for the first time in training camp. Here’s everything that happened in the first practice that actually resembled real football:
Attendance
Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (illness) and outside linebacker Tomon Fox (hamstring) were the only players not spotted at practice.
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Injury report
Trainers were checking out the right ankle/foot of outside linebacker Brian Burns late in practice. It’s not clear what happened, and Burns didn’t appear to be in great distress, but he watched the end of practice from the sideline.
Coach Brian Daboll speaks before practice, so there likely won’t be an update on Burns from the team until Tuesday morning.
Tight end Lawrence Cager, who has been taking reps with the first-team offense, appeared to tweak something in his right leg while running a route early in practice. Cager was clearly frustrated by the injury, but he tried to work through it. He remained on the field for the rest of practice, but he didn’t take any more reps.
Rookie safety Tyler Nubin, who has been sidelined by a calf injury since the second practice of camp, again worked on the side with the rehabbing players. That group includes all the players on the physically unable to perform list and the non-football injury list: offensive lineman Evan Neal (ankle), cornerback Aaron Robinson (knee), cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver (groin) and safety Jalen Mills (calf).
Starting center John Michael Schmitz didn’t participate in practice for the second straight day due to a shoulder injury that Daboll has downplayed.
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Observations
No QB competition
There were fewer passing highlights than usual with a run-heavy practice for the first day in pads. Quarterback Daniel Jones didn’t air it out as much as he had in the previous two practices. His best throw was a timing pass to wide receiver Jalin Hyatt on an in route just before safety Dane Belton converged.
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Jones has been at his best during camp when the offense picks up the tempo. He completed 4 of 5 passes in a two-minute drive late in Monday’s practice.
Backup quarterback Drew Lock is a true gunslinger. There’s a schoolyard vibe when he’s at the controls. His playmaking ability was on display when he started to scramble before shoveling the ball to wide receiver Gunner Olszewski, who had a lot of room to run.
Lock’s camp performance hasn’t put any pressure on Jones for the starting job. But Lock’s play style will certainly be entertaining if he gets a shot this season.
Third-string Tommy DeVito continues to mostly throw short passes. That may be part of effort to get the ball out faster after taking so many sacks last season as a rookie.
‘Turbo’ time
It’s still a challenge to evaluate running backs even when the pads come on because there’s no tackling to the ground. But rookie running back Dante Miller continues to impress with his quickness. The “Turbo” nickname clearly fits, as he showed on a run that he bounced outside at the second level for a big gain.
It’s too early to get overly excited about a 5-foot-9, 200-pound back who only had six carries in his final two college seasons. But there’s a path to a roster spot — and a role — in this Giants’ backfield if Miller continues to impress.
The center cycle
The rotation at center continued with Schmitz sidelined. Jimmy Morrissey and Austin Schlottmann split most of the first-team reps, with right guard Jon Runyan sliding over to center for a few snaps. Undrafted rookie Jake Kubas stepped in as the first-team right guard when Runyan shifted to center.
Kubas, who has mostly been the second-team left guard, also played center on the third-team line. He had a fumbled exchange with DeVito, but it’s clear the Giants like the North Dakota State product based on the reps he’s getting.
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D-line depth chart
Jordon Riley stepped in as the first-team nose tackle with Lawrence out. Riley stuffed running back Tyrone Tracy at the line early in practice.
Ryder Anderson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches were the other starting defensive linemen. Anderson, who spent all of last season on the practice squad, has been with the first-team defense throughout camp.
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Can't believe they're still letting us do this. pic.twitter.com/rsD9ItZpoT
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Slotting in
Rookie Dru Phillips was the first-team slot corner for the second consecutive practice. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the third-round pick maintains the role. Phillips blew up a pair of run plays on Monday, confirming his scouting report as a physical run defender.
Isaiah Simmons rotated with Phillips as the first-team slot corner. It’s still hard to imagine that the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Simmons will be able to match up with shifty slot receivers, and he was burned by the 5-foot-8 Wan’Dale Robinson on a slant that was dropped. There’s no questioning Simmons’ speed, however, and he was able to keep up with wide receiver Darius Slayton on an incomplete deep pass.
With Phillips and Simmons rising up the depth chart, Nick McCloud is heading in the opposite direction. McCloud, who was the starting slot corner in the first three practices, was with the third-team defense Monday. McCloud shifted to outside corner late in practice. That may be his best shot at playing time if Phillips is going to be anointed the starter in the slot.
GO DEEPERIf his Giants' rebuild is going to work, GM Joe Schoen needs draft picks to thrive in 2024Easy does it
Starting linebacker Micah McFadden’s workload continues to be monitored. McFadden suffered a hamstring injury in the spring, so the Giants are gradually increasing his reps. McFadden was replaced by Carter Coughlin or Dyontae Johnson midway through each team period Monday.
Backup linebacker Darrian Beavers made an impressive leaping deflection to knock away a DeVito pass up the seam. Beavers faces an uphill climb for a roster spot, but he’s looked healthier in his second season back from a torn ACL.
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Strong showings
One-on-one drills between the offensive line and defensive line are a highlight of padded practices. Unfortunately, the Giants conducted their one-on-ones too far from the media’s viewing area to get quality video. But in drills that are slanted toward the defense, tackles Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor held up well. Thomas had two reps against Burns, while Eluemunor had a pair of clashes with Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Burns vs. Thomas 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/CuuCc6pekH
— New York Giants (@Giants) July 29, 2024
Play of the day
Cornerback David Long deserves an assist for safety Gervarrius Owens’ interception of a Tommy DeVito pass intended for wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton over the middle. Long had blanket coverage, and the pass lacked zip, allowing him to get a hand on the ball. Owens was in the right spot to snag the interception before the ball hit the ground.
Quote of the day
“I think he does a great job of getting guys open in the spots where we can get the ball into playmakers’ hands. If we can scheme things up to get the ball out, whether it’s a quick game or a play-action pass downfield, he knows where to put guys. He knows where to put guys in the right spots, how to get them open, how to motion, how to shift, how to set defenses up.” — QB Drew Lock on Brian Daboll
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Next up
The Giants will conduct their sixth training camp practice at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The session is open to fans.
(Photo of Dante Miller: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)
Dan Duggan is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the New York Giants. He previously covered the Giants for two years for The Star-Ledger. He has also worked for the Boston Herald. Follow Dan on Twitter @DDuggan21
