New York Giants: 5 Biggest Questions Left to Answer Before Start of Season

The New York Giants will report to Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the start of training camp on July 30. Set to get underway soon, several burning questions remain unanswered in New York.

For the Giants to bounce back from back-to back losing seasons, the team must do its best to answer these questions before the regular season starts with a trip to Dallas on Sept. 13. The Giants will have nearly a month of training-camp practices, plus four preseason games, to probe for solutions.

A countdown of the five biggest questions facing the Giants as they enter the 2015 season can be found in the following slides.

5. Who Will Start at Safety?

Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

Landon Collins

The Giants are terribly inexperienced at safety. No one at the position has been in the NFL for more than five seasons, and there's a pretty good chance at least one rookie will end up in the starting lineup in 2015.

That one rookie is Landon Collins, the Giants' second-round pick in this year's draft. Collins, an Alabama product, is the best athlete New York has at the position. At 6'0" and 225 pounds, he can hit like a linebacker and is rarely reluctant to do so. As long as Collins doesn't make an obscene number of rookie mistakes in coverage, he's a lock to log a lot of starting snaps.

Now, the job beside him is the looming question mark. The Giants have the following options:

Draw from the Cast of Fifth-Round Picks

The Giants have taken a safety in the fifth round each of the past three drafts. In 2013, they took Cooper Taylor out of Richmond. Last year, they selected San Diego State product Nat Berhe. This year, they picked former Texas Longhorn Mykkele Thompson.

Taylor handled most of the first-team reps beside Collins this spring, but he's even bigger than the rookie at 6'4", 228 pounds. Since these two are so similarly built, speed might be a concern if the Giants paired Taylor up with Collins as the starting duo.

Berhe is probably the best athlete of the bunch. Pro Football Focus named him an All-Pro special teamer for his work on New York's kick-coverage unit as a rookie in 2015. Perhaps that impact can transfer to defense, but we won't know until he's back from a calf injury that sidelined him all spring.

Thompson has experience at both cornerback and safety, so his versatility will be helpful if someone in the secondary goes down. However, his chances to find the starting lineup are slim. Remember, Thompson is the one who didn't even expect to be drafted.

Settle on a Veteran Free-Agency Acquisition

The Giants picked up two veteran safeties off the open market as insurance. One of them, Josh Gordy, was signed before the draft; the other, Jeromy Miles, was just signed last week.

Gordy last played for the Indianapolis Colts (2012-14). His most productive season, however, came with the St. Louis Rams in 2011, when he recorded three of his five career interceptions.

Miles has been in the league since 2010. After starting his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, he spent the majority of the last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Miles recorded his first NFL interception in Week 15 of last season.

Gordy and Miles are 28-year-olds who entered the league as undrafted free agents. They have combined to start 15 games.

Go with the Dark-Horse Candidate

The only player who doesn't fit into one of these two categories is Bennett Jackson. The Giants drafted Jackson, originally a cornerback, in the sixth round last year. He spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee. Now, Jackson is trying to stick after a position shift to safety.

4. Will Former Third-Round Draft Picks Make the Leap?

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Damontre Moore

Third-round picks are crucial to a team's success.

First-rounders are expected to start immediately. Second-rounders shouldn't take long to develop into quality contributors. Third-rounders don't come with the same "early round" expectations, but when they turn out to be producers, the team benefits immensely.

For example, defensive end Justin Tuck (2005) and wide receiver Mario Manningham (2008) were both third-round picks. Without either of their services, the Giants' trophy case might be a couple of Lombardis lighter.

In 2015, the Giants need these two former third-round selections to step up:

Damontre Moore, DE, Pick No. 81 in 2013

With Jason Pierre-Paul's future shrouded in uncertainty, an opportunity for Damontre Moore has presented itself. The third-year defensive end has shown pass-rush potential in spurts but hasn't earned a single start yet.

However, if Pierre-Paul can't play, the Giants have few options other than Moore to start at right defensive end. If he's impressive in his pursuit of the quarterback early on, Moore could make JPP old news—much like JPP did while filling in for an injured Osi Umenyiora in 2011.

Moore's best fit is to rush from the quarterback's blind side, too. He's a tall, lanky edge defender at 6'5" and 250 pounds. His speed rush will be more lethal on the right side, and his inconsistency as a run defender will be less of a liability.

Last season, Moore recorded 5.5 sacks while playing a reserve role. Expect that figure to explode if he lands the starting job in place of JPP.

Jay Bromley, DT, Pick No. 74 in 2014

Moore is the third-rounder under the microscope, but the team needs Jay Bromley to step up all the same.

Bromley barely played at all last season, logging time in only eight games. A step backward might put him on the roster bubble moving forward, so Bromley cannot afford to have a sophomore slump.

The Giants already have one solid all-around defensive tackle in Johnathan Hankins, but they need someone else from the rotation to emerge beside him. Bromley makes sense as a complementary piece, since he's lighter (6'3", 306 lbs) and can specialize as a slasher, while Hankins focuses on plugging up the run.

Bromley shouldn't feel overwhelming pressure to earn a starting job, but New York does need him to have a more impactful year than he had as a rookie.

3. Can Ereck Flowers Step Up at Left Tackle?

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The Giants' biggest leap of faith will be starting first-round rookie Ereck Flowers at left tackle.

Flowers, a Miami product, was the ninth overall pick in this year's draft. He has few, if any, physical limitations at 6'6" and 329 pounds. His 5.31-second 40-yard dash is nothing mind-bending, but it's dificult to fathom the 37 reps of 225 pounds he put up on the bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine.

While Flowers is dripping with raw potential, his game may not be refined enough to survive the challenges he'll face as a blindside protector. Veteran pass-rushers will probably take advantage of his inexperience, and quarterback Eli Manning is most likely to pay for his rookie mistakes.

This situation can really go one of two ways:

Best-Case Scenario

Flowers wastes no time in establishing himself as a franchise left tackle. His hand placement improves drastically during training camp, and he's able to fend off even the most ferocious pass-rushers with ease. His shear size makes him a valuable asset for the ground game, as he and guard Justin Pugh team up to create wide running lanes on the left side of the line.

In this scenario, Will Beatty's rehabilitation from May pectoral surgery is not rushed. He can make a comfortable return in the middle of the season and slowly wean his way back into the starting lineup.

Worst-Case Scenario

Flowers is a train wreck at left tackle, but the Giants are committed to keeping him in the starting lineup. Pass-rushers play on the weaker points of his game, and his size fails to yield a noticeable difference in the offensive line's run blocking overall. 

In this scenario, Beatty rushes back from his rehab and risks re-injuring himself. Even more threatening to the team's success, Manning is constantly running for his life. His general discomfort in the pocket leads to a mistake-plagued season like the one he had in 2013.

2. How Will Steve Spagnuolo's Defense Look?

Associated Press

Steve Spagnuolo

During Steve Spagnuolo's first stint with the team, which only lasted two seasons, the Giants fielded dominant defenses. In his first season (2007), New York rode his defense all the way to a victory in Super Bowl XLII. The following season, Spagnuolo's defense helped the Giants capture the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 12-4 regular-season record.

The Giants hope a reunion with their old defensive coordinator can help replicate his previous success. Perry Fewell's scheme had grown stale by the end of last season, as the Giants finished 29th (out of 32 NFL teams) in terms of total yards allowed (6,012). Now, it's on Spags to pick up the pieces.

Spagnuolo's successful platoons of the past featured the following three characteristics:

A Powerful Pass Rush

The Giants won their first Super Bowl of the Tom Coughlin era behind the efforts of defensive ends Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. They combined for 32 of New York's league-leading 53 sacks that season. The following year, Strahan retired and Umenyiora was lost for the season to a knee injury, yet the Giants still managed to finish sixth in the NFL with 42 sacks.

If Spagnuolo's return is to be as glorious as expected, the attack must be spearheaded by a superior group of pass-rushers. And if Jason Pierre-Paul isn't part of the plan, that just means more weight falls on the shoulders of ends such as Damontre Moore and Robert Ayers Jr.

Regular contributions from third-round rookie Owa Odighizuwa and former undrafted free agent Kerry Wynn, as well as big defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, will go a long way toward making up for JPP's absence.

Leadership at Linebacker

Few players were more valuable to the Giants' Super Bowl run of 2007-08 than middle linebacker Antonio Pierce. While flanked by a reliable veteran in Kawika Mitchell and a versatile athlete in Mathias Kiwanuka, Pierce was able to take command as Spagnuolo's field general.

The situation at linebacker has the potential to be pretty similar this season. Jon Beason has the same leadership qualities as Pierce, when healthy. Jameel McClain (or J.T. Thomas/Jonathan Casillas/Mark Herzlich) can serve as the second veteran presence. Finally, Devon Kennard can bring the defensive end-like impact to the linebacker position, much like Kiwanuka did.

A Serviceable Secondary

Spagnuolo's defenses with the Giants were built on the front seven—not the secondary. While the cornerbacks and safeties were certainly useful contributors, the team's fate rarely rested on the play of Sam Madison or Gibril Wilson, for example. However, Spagnuolo most recently served as the Baltimore Ravens secondary coach, so he could have a few new tricks for the Big Blue defensive backs.

There's plenty of talent for Spags to build something big on the back end. Cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara have the pedigree to lock things down on the outsides. The youth and athleticism at safety, starting with second-round rookie Landon Collins, could provide the beginnings of something like Seattle's dominant secondary.

1. Can the Giants Stay Healthy?

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Victor Cruz (left) and Odell Beckham Jr.

Above all else, the Giants must stay healthy to keep their playoff hopes alive. They've failed to avoid injuries the last two years, and the result has been back-to-back losing seasons.

The Giants have already suffered major blows to key contributors on both sides of the ball, and training camp hasn't even opened yet. Unless the tide takes a drastic turn, they appear primed to be the league's most injured team for a third consecutive season.

Heading into the 2015 seasons, here are New York's three biggest questions regarding health:

How Will the Giants Handle the Beatty, JPP Injuries?

After tearing a pectoral muscle while weightlifting and undergoing surgery in May to repair the damage, left tackle Will Beatty is unlikely to be available for the first half of the 2015 season. First-round rookie Ereck Flowers is in line to replace him, but Beatty could relieve him in November if he starts the season on injured reserve with a designation to return after Week 8.

Much less is known about the extent of Jason Pierre-Paul's injury. We know a fireworks accident led to the amputation of his right index finger, as well as a fractured thumb and burns to his flesh. The recovery period is hazy, though. Pierre-Paul has not yet signed his $14.8 million franchise tender, so the Giants must brace for the possibility of a season in which he is either unavailable or limited in his ability to play defensive end.

Will Victor Cruz Make a Full Recovery?

The Giants are holding out hope for Victor Cruz to make a full recovery from a torn patellar tendon. It's a serious knee injury that could keep him from ever replicating his past production, which includes the franchise's single-season record for receiving yards (1,536 in 2011).

If Cruz makes a healthy return to the field, he will team up with Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle to form an enticing trio of wideouts. With Beckham and Randle occupying the outsides, Cruz could control everything underneath as New York's slot receiver.

Can Jon Beason Stay Healthy?

There is a night-and-day difference in New York's defense when Jon Beason is on the field and when he is not. A fast linebacker who can sprint sideline-to-sideline, Beason makes a big difference against the run and with his overall organization of the defense.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will need an on-field extension of the coaching staff, and Beason is most likely to play that role. But, after missing a total of 40 games over the last four seasons, he can hardly be trusted to be available for all 16 games in 2015.

Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.