Breaking Down the New York Giants' Top Training Camp Battles
Forget about the weather forecast—things are going to be hot around East Rutherford, New Jersey, this summer when the New York Giants take the field for training camp starting July 28.
For the first time in a few years, the Giants 90-man training camp roster is fully stocked and loaded at several positions to create several interesting competitions.
Unlike past years, when most of the competitions were mainly for depth, there are several starting jobs up for grabs as Ben McAdoo begins the final shaping of his first NFL roster as head coach.
Let’s take a look at some of the more intriguing competitions—where they stand as of the end of the offseason program and where they could be heading if the players involved stay healthy.
Right Tackle
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By the end of the offseason workouts, the Giants were still keeping the status quo—Marshall Newhouse—at right tackle.
Whether that continues into training camp remains to be seen. Currently, the Giants' depth at offensive tackle is paper-thin, even with youngster Bobby Hart jockeying for some snaps at right tackle with the starting unit.
The problem is that—based on his showing this spring during offensive line drills, which were all non-padded—Hart seems better suited to play inside at guard, where his footwork issues would probably be less of an issue.
There is still a possibility of Hart smoothing out his footwork issues and polishing up his technique to where he might actually push Newhouse from the starting lineup. Regardless, such a swap would still leave the team thin at offensive tackle.
That’s why when it comes to this position, it seems almost certain that the Giants will try to add another veteran presence. Whether that gets accomplished before, during or after camp remains to be seen.
Middle Linebacker
2 of 5
The Giants might very well have drafted their middle linebacker of the future in fourth-round pick B.J. Goodson. However, the rookie, who should end up with a spot on this roster, could still be a year away from being ready for full-time duty.
In the interim, the Giants signed three middle linebacker candidates—Jasper Brinkley, Keenan Robinson and Kelvin Sheppard—to one-year contracts.
Brinkley is the incumbent of the group and, if there were a depth chart, will probably be atop of the list come the start of camp.
The Giants, however, saw enough on tape to like Robinson, the former Washington inside linebacker who has dealt with some injuries of late.
According to Pro Football Focus, Robinson has never posted a passer rating higher than 91.8, the mark he set last year. Meanwhile, Brinkley’s best coverage rating in his career was last season’s 106.4 mark, and Sheppard saw his 82.6 coverage rating in 2014 shoot up to 134.9 last year.
Ideally, the Giants would probably like a middle linebacker who can be counted on both against the run and in coverage, especially as they continue to sort through the safety and slot cornerback situations.
Going into camp, Brinkley probably has the slight edge for two reasons.
The first is his familiarity with the system—he was here last year to pick up the pieces after the health issues and performances of Jon Beason and Uani ‘Unga left the Giants crossing their fingers for the best out of Brinkley, a player they acquired just prior to their first game last season.
Another advantage Brinkley offers is that he's, statistically-speaking, the best of the three veteran candidates when it comes to run defense, per PFF.
Toward the end of the spring, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also tried both Robinson and Sheppard in the middle with the first-team defense. As he told reporters afterwards, though, there is only so much he can gauge in practices where the players are not engaging in contact.
“All of the defensive spots, you find out most when you put the pads on and that one especially,” Spagnuolo said.
“There is a little bit further to go there and that hasn’t really ironed itself out as far as who is playing where, who is starting, who is one and who is two. That is going to be an interesting battle in training camp.”
It sure is.
Running Backs
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Talk about a "full-house" backfield!
The Giants, who last year raised more than a few eyebrows when they stubbornly stuck to a four-man running back committee that prevented anyone from getting into a groove, added veteran Bobby Rainey and rookie draft pick Paul Perkins to the returning foursome of Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa.
That’s six running backs—seven if you count undrafted rookie free agent Marshaun Coprich. And that’s a lot of running backs for a select number of training camp snaps.
Why so many?
“When you look at the running back situation, unfortunately, Orleans has not been able to participate this spring, and of course Paul Perkins—being at UCLA—kind of hard to really see exactly where he’s at, you know being limited,” offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said.
Presumably, Jennings will be the starter, the role he finished in last year. Per Pro Football Focus, Vereen played in just 38.7 percent of the offensive snaps last year, his lowest in a 16-game season over the last three years.
While Perkins, the rookie, might not initially contribute to the offense as he gets caught up on the playbook, the coaches have liked what little they’ve seen from him.
That leaves Williams, a fourth-round draft pick from 2014, Rainey and Darkwa, signed off the Miami practice squad in 2014, to battle for what might be the last spot among this unit.
Williams is coming off a disappointing sophomore season. He saw not just his carries drop from 216 as a rookie to 88 last year, but his average yards per rush (3.3 to 2.9) and his yards after contact (2.1 to 1.8) fell too, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I think Andre, a little bit lighter, is hitting the holes better and we want to see where he progresses once we get into training camp,” Sullivan said.
Rainey signed with the Giants after three seasons with Tampa Bay (including one in which Sullivan was his offensive coordinator). Rainey has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over his career and 2.5 yards after contact, per PFF, but also has three career fumbles.
“Bobby Rainey is a young man to keep an eye on,” Sullivan said. “He’s done a lot of good things both from a running standpoint—he has good vision, good acceleration—and he’s an excellent receiver.”
Sullivan said the Giants' crowded backfield “gives us some good problems to have in terms of saying who’s going to be the individual or individuals who are going to carry the football.”
Whether there is going to be enough snaps to help them sort through the mix remains to be seen, as does whether the Giants keep four or five at this position.
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Slot Cornerback
4 of 5
In a scene that would fit in with the movie Groundhog Day, the Giants are once again searching for a viable slot cornerback.
Last year, they went through a similar search before settling on Trevin Wade, who entered the league in 2012 with Cleveland before moving to New Orleans in 2013 and then to the Giants in 2015.
Wade gave it the old college try, but by season’s end he had allowed, per Pro Football Focus, 73.3 percent of the passes thrown against him to be complete for a total of 509 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
This year, the Giants tried twice to sign a slot cornerback, the first being Jerraud Powers, whom Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News reported made a visit to the Giants in March. The other was Leon Hall, whom Ralph Vacchiano, also the New York Daily News, reported visited after the draft.
In between, the Giants drafted Eli Apple with the No. 10 overall draft pick. In selecting Apple, the team is hoping that perhaps the rookie can develop into a solid slot cornerback option despite the fact he has little experience in the role.
Thus absent a new signing of a slot cornerback, this competition might come down to a committee consisting of projected starters Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins, Apple and Wade.
“We are trying to find that out right now,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said at the end of the spring program.
“We have played a lot of guys in there in the OTAs. Tim Walton has done a great job and we decided to do that right from the beginning. Let’s find out which guy plays best in there and then go from there because we know they can all pretty much play outside and have played outside.”
One of the most likely scenarios could see Jenkins drop down into the slot with Apple on the outside.
Last year with the Rams, Jenkins played 33 snaps in the slot, per PFF, where he allowed four completions on seven targets for 47 yards, eight coming after the catch. He finished with a team-best 77.7 NFL Rating, not giving up any touchdowns.
The Giants could always go back to Wade as well to do the heavy lifting if Apple doesn’t catch on to the position quickly enough.
Ideally, though, the Giants are probably hoping that their first-round draft pick will come to training camp with a much better grasp of the slot duties so he can hit the ground running.
Tight End
5 of 5
The Giants’ tight end position hasn’t received as much publicity as some of the other upcoming battles set to take place in East Rutherford.
It probably should, though, given how much Ben McAdoo’s offense has made use of the tight end, especially as a run-blocker.
According to figures obtained from various Pro Football Focus pages, the Giants lined a tight end up as their lead blocker 64 times in 2014, the first year of the new offense, and 85 times last year. Similarly, the use of a fullback has declined in the same two-year period, from 167 snaps in 2014 to 106 last year.
Given the uncertainty of the right side of the offensive line, finding a solid run-blocking tight end is key for this Giants team in 2016. They added two potential prospects to that mix: sixth-round draft pick Jerell Adams and unrestricted free agent Will Johnson, the latter a hybrid tight end/fullback.
Those two players will compete with holdovers Larry Donnell, Will Tye and Matt LaCosse and undrafted free agent Ryan Malleck for one of at least three positions, or possibly four if the Giants opt to go without a pure fullback this year.
Barring injury, Donnell and Tye are both probably safe. Johnson, signed to a two-year, $2.3 million deal this offseason, also probably factors into the plans.
If the Giants go with four tight ends, it will likely come down to LaCosse and Adams, with the runner-up likely to go to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Per Pro Football Focus, LaCosse received 22 snaps late last season, mostly as a pass receiver. The 6’6”, 250-pound tight end also showed hints of being a solid run blocker coming out of Illinois.
The problem with LaCosse has been staying healthy. He suffered a hamstring strain early in training camp as a rookie and was waived. This spring, he ended up having to miss a couple of practices due to another lower-body injury.
Adams, who had a mixed showing in the spring, appears to be raw as both a blocker and as a receiver. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com viewed the former South Carolina player as a bit of a project who could need a little more seasoning before he’s ready to contribute on a consistent basis.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer, NFL Spinzone and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.
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