New York Giants Training Camp: Week 2 Stock Report

There has been a lot of football generated by the New York Giants, who opened training camp on July 30 at home but who are currently on the road.

Since July 30, which seems like eons ago, there have been good days and bad days. There have been injuries (of course), and there have been surprises, both good and bad, from the players who are jockeying for not only a roster spot, but also for a position as high as possible on the depth chart.

This slideshow looks at some of those players who have seen their stock rise and some who have seen their stock fall.

This “stock report” isn’t necessarily an indication of who will be on the 53-man roster come September, as there is still a lot of preseason left.

However, things are starting to crystallize if just a bit for head coach Tom Coughlin, whose team wraps up the physical preparation for its preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday. 

Stock Up: DE Kerry Wynn

Uncredited/Associated Press

There are plenty of reasons why one of the starting defensive end jobs is Kerry Wynn’s to lose.

With Jason Pierre-Paul out indefinitely, Wynn is probably the only defensive end on the roster who has shown that he can hold his own against the run.

Last season, Wynn graded out positively in four out of the five games in which he was active, showing tremendous discipline by not rushing wildly upfield, as so many young players tend to do.

In the offseason, Wynn, who is very mature for a 24-year-old man, recognized the opportunity before him long before the sad saga of Pierre-Paul and the fireworks were to take place. Wynn revealed that he made the Giants’ weight room his home away from home.

"I love the Giants organization and I want to be here a long time," he told Tom Rock of Newsday. "But if I'm going to be here for a long time, I have to make the most of my opportunities and perform."

Wynn’s hard work has resulted in him being listed as one of the two starting defensive ends of the first version of the team’s 2015 depth chart.

However, as far as Wynn is concerned, he still has a long way to go to become the player he wants to be.

"To be honest, I haven't looked too much into it," he told Rock. "Whether I'm a starter or a second-team player, I'm going in with the same mindset to go in and do what I can to help the team and make sure I'm doing my job."

Stock Down: OL Brett Jones

Uncredited/Associated Press

Brett Jones, the CFL offensive lineman of the year last year, is a smart, solid player who has been working hard at his craft and who has been making strides to overcome the differences between the CFL and the NFL.

With all that said, it has been slightly surprising that the coaching staff hasn’t really worked Jones much, if any, at guard.

The most logical reason why is that they want Jones to become acclimated with having a man line up literally on his nose before they heap anything more onto his plate.

Jones has done fairly well against his teammates, but, as Art Stapleton of The Record reported, when the rookie went against the Bengals, he was knocked “well into the backfield” on one drill.

That could mean Jones might be in need of a little more seasoning before he is ready for a roster spot.

That seasoning is also going to entail learning how to play guard. Jones might not make the 53-man roster, but he will almost certainly be on the practice squad where, given his work ethic, he should be on the main roster in no time.

Stock Up: CB Jayron Hosley

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Before training camp is over, cornerback Jayron Hosley might just end up showing people why he was good enough to be a third-round draft pick in 2012.

It has been Hosley, not Trumaine McBride or Josh Gordy, who has filled in for starter Prince Amukamara while he nurses a groin injury.

Surprisingly, Hosley has actually looked more than halfway decent in the role.  

“Feel like there’s been progress every day," Hosley told Art Stapleton of The Record. "I’m coming out and focusing on the details, understanding the defense as a whole and just playing ball, trying to make this team, having fun and taking coaching."

Hosley, who was so bad last year that the coaches left him as a healthy scratch in the final five games of the season despite the injuries at his position, admitted to Stapleton that he lost confidence in his abilities.

However, some time away from the game this past offseason has helped the former Virginia Tech defender step away and see things more clearly.

“I’ve had a lot of time to put things in perspective, and mature in this game, understanding my role and what’s expected of me, being accountable,” he said.

"I’m at a much better place now. It was eye-opening for me going into the spring that they hadn’t given up on me yet. I need to prove to them every day I’m here that it was the right call."

 “He certainly came back in excellent condition and I think he’s very serious about it right now and he’s trying and he senses this is a critical, critical camp for him,” head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters today at the post-practice press conference.

“We’re all hoping he comes through in the fashion we thought of him when we drafted him.”

So far, so good.

Stock Down: OL Geoff Schwartz

David Richard/Associated Press

There’s always a little bit of reluctance on my part to downgrade an injured player because no one really knows what he is going through physically.

With that said, it was a more than just a tad perplexing that offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, who is believed to have ankle soreness, was somehow able to stand on the practice field for an hour or so while his teammates went through a practice that literally saw the players walking through the different formations and assignments.  

Again, only Schwartz knows for sure how he really feels, though he probably didn't do himself any favors when he posted a picture of his bloodied and blistered feet on his Instagram account.

Even his position coach, Pat Flaherty, hinted that Schwartz’s issue might be more of a mental thing at this point.

“I think when you have an injury such as what Geoff had, probably in your mind—and hopefully it’s in the back of your mind until it leaves your mind—is that you’re cautious of people around you. Are they going to fall on you?” offensive line coach Pat Flaherty told reporters last week during a press briefing.

“He’s full go; he’s okay and recovered, but I think that’s kind of in your mind, but it will take some time for him to work it out. He’ll get it out. He’s a guy who’s played this game long enough so he’ll get it out his mind and turn it loose.”

Stock Up: Special Teams

Anonymous/Associated Press

Last season, the Giants’ special teams finished 15th on kickoff coverage and 20th on punt coverage, according to Football Outsiders.

Those rather lackluster ratings, combined with some frustrating breakdowns, led to many fans screaming for special teams coordinator Tom Quinn’s dismissal.

Somehow, though, Quinn has managed to stick around, and so far, so good where his units are concerned this preseason.

The front office has given Quinn a fresh batch of talent, such as linebackers Jonathan Casillas and J.T. Thomas, receiver Geremy Davis, defensive back Bennett Jackson and return specialist Dwayne Harris, all of whom have quietly made a difference so far. 

That difference was probably most noticeable in the drills against the Bengals on Tuesday.

“I thought the initial special teams drills were good,” head coach Tom Coughlin said at the press conference. “It was very crisp and we had some good penetration. They did too, unfortunately, but I liked the tempo of it.”

Last season, the Giants struggled to win the starting field position battle, an often overlooked factor in their 6-10 record.

Coughlin, Quinn and the rest of the Giants are hoping this year is different, especially for the punt coverage team that is tied with Washington for having allowed a league-high four punt returns for touchdowns in the last two seasons.

So far, the units have shown signs of getting back on track.

While they probably won’t match the Eagles or the Rams, who have perhaps the top special teams units in the league, if the Giants can get into the top 10 across the board with special teams, that will go a long way toward making the jobs of the offense and defense much easier.

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.