Giants Training Camp Takeaways: Daniel Jones Is Taking More Chances

Jones, still recovering from knee surgery, looks to be more aggressive in throwing the ball downfield this season with rookie wideout Malik Nabers taking a lead role in New York's offense.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones played just six games last season before suffering a torn ACL. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants are keeping a far lower profile than they were a year ago, coming off a 9-win season. They’re younger, too. So here’s how that all added up for me on a Chamber of Commerce Tuesday in the tri-state area …

• There’s a lot of attention on Daniel Jones in camp, with the revelations of Hard Knocks adding another level of scrutiny as the sixth-year quarterback goes into the final fully-guaranteed year of the blockbuster deal he signed in 2023. The truth, though, is that he’s still just nine months post-surgery, and regaining his footing in that regard, and he’s working with a lot of new people on that side of the ball. In particular, and given some of the new weaponry on hand, he and Brian Daboll have worked on Jones becoming more aggressive getting the ball down the field (see: Nabers, Malik). The bad news is it’s led to some mistakes in practice and preseason games. The good news is they’re working on getting Jones to a place where he’ll test his limits some more—though one pick from last Saturday was less than excusable.

• It’s not an overstatement to say how things work out in front of Jones will go a long way in determining how far the team winds up going. New line coach Carmen Bricillo has never worked with Brian Daboll before, but came up as an NFL assistant under Josh McDaniels, who’s working relationship with the Giants coach goes back to the 1990s. So the pieces Bricillo brings fit what Daboll wants, and he also has Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor coming in tandem with him from Las Vegas. Jon Runyan looks like he’ll be a really solid addition too, slotting in between franchise left tackle Andrew Thomas and promising center John Michael Schmitz Jr. And former first-rounder Evan Neal’s getting back to full strength too, and if the light comes on for him, they’ll have another option at guard or tackle. Which, collectively, is a lot more than what they had last year. How it’ll come together remains to be seen, but there’s hope there.

Nabers gestures to a referee during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

• Nabers is what the Giants’ had hoped for—a strong, fast, violent receiver who should be a force both downfield and after the catch. But beyond just his high-end physical gifts, Nabers has surprised the Giants a bit with his football aptitude. That’s important, too, with Daboll’s desire to move guys around, and need to have receivers who know how to play all four spots in his offense. If this comes together fast, of course, and Nabers is No. 1 in short order, that’d change the dynamic completely for the complementary pieces the Giants have at the position in Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt. I’d also look out for rookie tight end Theo Johnson, who’s got a good shot to be a Week 1 starter. The development of Nabers is also important with Saquon Barkley, the Giant that defenses game-planned for, gone. Devin Singletary gives the team a known commodity there, and Tyrone Tracy Jr., who actually played four years of receiver in college, looks like he’ll be a versatile weapon, and partner to Singletary at the position.

• The Giants are going to need what looks like a fearsome front, headlined by Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, to set the tone, because there are questions behind them. Bobby Okereke looks like a Pro Bowl linebacker, but the Giants have an issue in what’ll be around him—which is why it wouldn’t surprise me if they add a guy or two at the cutdown at that spot. And in the secondary, they’ll need Deonte Banks to take another step, and become a legit No. 1 corner, and for young guys to grow up fast around him. My expectation is there will be rookies starting at nickel (Andru Phillips) and safety (Tyler Nubin, who shown himself to be physical, fast and versatile), and the competition to start at corner opposite Banks is wide open, with Cor’Dale Flott and Nick McCloud in that mix.

• The roster has been almost completely revamped. Over the last three offseasons, Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen have made the team younger, faster and more dynamic. We’ll see whether it shows up in the standings, but it’s pretty clear here you see a focus on investing in the premium positions (Jones, Thomas, Nabers, Burns, Thibodeaux, Banks) and building something sustainable (among projected starters, only Singletary, Van Roten and safety Jason Pinnock aren’t signed through 2025). The foundation here, as such, I think is good. How they’re able to fill the rest of the lineup with an effective middle class, as I see it, will determine what sort of year the Giants are going to have.