New York Giants Training Camp: 5 Early Storylines to Watch

In less than two weeks, the New York Giants will be on the Quest Diagnostics Training Center’s grass fields for the start of their annual training camp.

The Giants, coming off a 6-10 season last year, have a lot to get accomplished starting on July 30. There is the matter of fine-tuning the offense, which enters its second year under coordinator Ben McAdoo. There is also the matter of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo continuing the installation of his system.

While watching the same practices every day can become monotonous, there are sure to be some sidebars to the Giants’ training camp—there always are.

So let’s have a look at the top storylines that are all but certain to generate more than their fair share of headlines and try to anticipate what might happen within each.

When Will Jason Pierre-Paul Report?

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Atop everyone’s watch list will be whether defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul—currently the Giants’ franchise player and the only such franchise player left in the league without any kind of signed deal—will show up when his teammates report to camp.

Pierre-Paul does not need to show up, because he doesn’t yet have a signed contract. As a result, the Giants cannot fine him for each day he misses training camp.

Second, thanks to his ill-advised decision to play with fireworks earlier this month, Ed Werder of ESPN reported that Pierre-Paul is currently recovering from surgical procedures that include the amputation of his index finger, skin grafts and a broken thumb, all on his right hand.

Per Werder, Pierre-Paul’s doctors have given him a six-week recovery period, though it’s unclear if within those six weeks Pierre-Paul will be able to resume the strength training necessary to get himself physically ready for the 2015 NFL season. 

However, that six-week time frame isn't universally agreed upon by medical experts. In an interview with Sunday Night Football Sports Medicine Analyst Mike Ryan, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com outlines the unique rehab challenges that could await Pierre-Paul. 

"The combination of a lost index finger and a painful thumb will negatively impact his initial function on the field with his right hand,” Ryan said.  

“His wide grip strength will suffer because of that amputation. With creative thumb splinting and additional healing time, I would expect him to resume his high level of play when his thumb pain resolves."

Florio reported that Pierre-Paul wants a guarantee that he's going to be paid regardless of whether he ends up on the non-football injury (NFI) list, a designation that would mean the Giants wouldn’t have to pay him. Per Florio, if the defensive end gets that guarantee, he will show up and sign his tender.

Florio suggests that Pierre-Paul, who at the end of the 2015 season told reporters that he believed he was worth a lot of money, may stay away from the Giants facility until his doctors give him the green light regarding his injuries having healed.

The flaw with that thinking, however, is that doctors oftentimes have different opinions, and the Giants’ medical staff tends to be one of the most conservative in the NFL.

There is no guarantee that they will sign off on Pierre-Paul being ready to commence practicing even if the doctors who treated Pierre-Paul’s injuries believe he is ready to go.

More and more, this storyline has all the makings of the proverbial “perfect storm.”

Pierre-Paul has, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media, has had little to no contact with the Giants from the start of this ordeal, a tactic that—while he is entitled to pursue it—is a gamble.

Raanan also reported that the Giants fully intend to have Pierre-Paul on the roster this year; however, they are not likely to go ahead with having Pierre-Paul sign the franchise tender until they can verify that Pierre-Paul is not only healing properly, but that there were no other injuries or complications arising from his accident.

It would be surprising to see Pierre-Paul at camp this summer. What’s more, his absence is sure to make for a daily annoyance for head coach Tom Coughlin, the assistant coaches and the players who are sure to receive questions on a daily basis by the different waves of media that tend to filter in and out of training camp.

That kind of distraction is probably the last thing a team that is coming off a 6-10 season and is collectively on the hot seat this year needs to be dealing with. 

Will Victor Cruz Be Ready to Start Training Camp?

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

When it comes to beating the odds, receiver Victor Cruz has shown that he has it down to a science.

This is, after all, a player who went undrafted but who worked tirelessly at improving his craft to become one of the most recognized faces in the game.

So it’s only natural for everyone to believe that he is going to be ready to take the team’s conditioning test on July 30—a test which, if he passes, will enable him to meet his goal of starting training camp on time and some eight-and-a-half months after having surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon.

Let’s look at the possibility that he will indeed be ready to start camp on time.

Cruz was spotted by the media on a side field working with a trainer throughout the OTAs and minicamps. During those workouts, he was sprinting at full speed and doing some cutting.

Sounds promising, right?

Bring out the umbrella, because here comes the rain.

Cruz did all this work on a grass field, the most forgiving of the playing surfaces and a surface on which the Giants won’t always be playing their games.

He also did all this work without the usual combination of football equipment—helmet, shoulder pads, thigh and kneepads, etc., which add weight and additional stress to the body.

He also did all his work against air—there was no defender in his face forcing him to change directions at the last minute or bumping into him.

The point is that while Cruz has made remarkable progress and has looked good, there is a reason why head coach Tom Coughlin pumped the brakes regarding whether Cruz will be ready to go for the start of training camp.

“It is my understanding that he will be ready to participate. How limited, I can’t tell you,” Coughlin said. “We aren’t going to throw him right out there, I can tell you that.”

Now for the money quote.

When asked if he thought Cruz might start training camp on the PUP list, Coughlin said, “I’m not going to say. That is not the intent.”

Will Cruz be ready for the start of training camp? It would be surprising if he is. With that said, he’s probably not going to spend the entire session on the PUP list (though it wouldn’t be surprising if he sits out of the meaningless preseason games as a precautionary, even if he's active).

The goal, remember, is to have all hands on deck for the start of the regular season. That goal is probably more attainable for Cruz than being ready for the start of training camp.

What Can They Expect from LB Jon Beason?

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

It’s a shame that whenever linebacker Jon Beason’s name comes up these days, the first thoughts are often not about his play and how much of a difference he can make on a defense, but rather his recent injury history.

Unfortunately, that is what happens when a player has been on the field for 24 games over the last four seasons thanks to an assortment of lower body injuries.

One thing is for sure: The Giants need Beason on the field for 16 games.

In fact, they were so concerned with minimizing the risk of any setbacks to their veteran defensive leader that they put Beason on a snap count throughout most of the spring, which gradually allowed him to get his sea legs back underneath him.

The approach seemed to work.

“Foot feels great. I am happy to be back out there,” Beason said after the first day of last month’s minicamp. “I am getting my feet under me.”

Will the Giants continue to take that same approach with Beason this summer?

It wouldn’t be surprising, especially early on once the pads go on. It also wouldn’t be surprising if Beason’s appearances in the preseason games are extremely limited.

The drawback, of course, is that this is a new defensive system, one that Beason, as the middle linebacker, is going to be largely responsible for orchestrating. Obviously the more snaps he gets, the better things will be and the quicker everything should fall into place.

The good news is that Beason has a high football IQ and is a respected leader among his teammates so that even if he does remain on a “pitch count,” he should still be able to hit the ground running.

Remember that if a player has a setback in camp, the thinking is usually to try to get him back on the field as soon as humanly possible, especially the closer it gets to the regular season.

Again, the Giants need Beason for 16 games. It’s better that the Giants have him available for 50-plus snaps a game during the regular season than to put him at risk by turning him completely loose in meaningless preseason games or have him take extra reps for the sake of making up for lost time.  

How Will Newcomer Jeromy Miles Factor into the Mix at Safety?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

In an article analyzing moves that the Giants should have made during the offseason, I expressed bewilderment over the Giants having not added a veteran safety to the mix, specifically now ex-Baltimore Ravens safety Jeromy Miles.

Since then, the Giants did indeed sign Miles to what Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media reported was a one-year veteran minimum contract.

OK, so what does the signing of Miles mean? Why did I want to see the move made? And what role will Miles have with the team this year?

Let’s start with the second question first: why I wanted to see the move made. Despite the talent pool the Giants have at safety—and there is an abundance of talent on the roster—it’s still untapped and untested.

With the Giants being in a “win or else” mode, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team had concerns about potentially starting two rookie safeties in the defensive backfield, especially with safeties usually being the last line of defense in the pass-happy NFL.

Second, all throughout free agency numerous reports from various sources came out about the Giants having interest in veteran free agent safeties such as Devin McCourty, per Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN, and Ron Parker, per Jordan Raanan, NJ Advance Media.

The team’s continued interest in signing a veteran safety addresses the first question asked: What does the signing of Miles mean?

What it means for the Giants is that they wanted to have a veteran presence in that safety room to help the young, inexperienced players better understand what they were seeing and how to adjust.

The presence of a veteran cannot be underscored enough. When defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was here the first time, his defense was loaded with experienced veterans—linebacker Antonio Pierce, corners Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters and defensive end Michael Strahan, just to name a few.

Those veterans, thanks to their experience, were able to help with disseminating what Spagnuolo wanted done and how he wanted it done. They also set the example for the younger players to follow in terms of the little extras that sometimes are lost on younger players.

Lastly, what role will Miles have with the team? The signing of a one-year contract—a veteran minimum deal at that—means that if Miles doesn’t make the 53-man roster, the Giants can cut him and have a minimum impact against their current year’s salary cap. 

If he does make the roster—and it would be surprising if he doesn’t—his presence gives Spagnuolo not just another experienced veteran, but also a player with whom Spagnuolo is familiar from their days together in Baltimore.

Will Odell Beckham Jr. Be Ready to Go?

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

This offseason, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been everywhere.

Well, almost everywhere.

For those who missed the goings-on during the OTAs and minicamp, the second-year receiver was once again limited during the spring thanks to a hamstring issue.

This time, however, it was not the same hamstring that kept him sidelined last year but his other hamstring.

The good news, if there is any, is that Beckham opined that his most recent injury “is just not even comparable” to what he went through last year, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

While it’s hard to blame the Giants from shutting Beckham down if his hamstring isn’t right, the bigger problem that needs to be addressed is why he continues to have issues with his hamstring to the point that he can’t get on the practice field.

As good as Beckham was last year—and let’s be honest, he was phenomenal despite all the practice time missed—the more he can get on the practice field to work with quarterback Eli Manning, the better he’ll become.

So what is the plan for Beckham moving forward to ensure that he will be ready for training camp?

“He just continues to do whatever the plan is for them in the training room,” head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters on the final day of the team’s mandatory minicamp last month.

“He has been running, but most of it has been straight ahead but he has been doing that. He will maneuver into the cutting as he goes forward. He feels better, but he needs to feel a whole lot better.”

What about training camp? Is Beckham on track to be ready?

“That’s the plan,” Coughlin said. 

In other words, stay tuned.  

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow @Patricia_Traina.