Giants Country

New York Giants Seeking to Tie Up Loose Ends in Preseason Finale

The Giants close out their preseason schedule at home against the Patriots in a game that will see the majority of the starters for the first time this summer.

Patricia Traina

Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The only Giants dress rehearsal is set for this evening at MetLife Stadium, but it comes with a bit of a caveat. The vastly revamped Giants offense underwent a significant facelift in the off-season, will be missing several crucial supporting cast members.

Receivers Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, running back Saquon Barkley, and tight end Kyle Rudolph will all be watching from the side. While that is disappointing, it’s also for the best given the long road ahead for a Giants franchise looking to post its first winning record since 2016.

This will be the first opportunity for the public to get its eyes on what has appeared to be an improved Daniel Jones, the Giants third-year quarterback who seems much more at ease in running the Giants’ offense that is about to enter its second season. 

While it would have been nice to see Jones throwing passes to Golladay and Rudolph and Toney and even Barkley, there are still a couple of things where we can gauge just how much progress Jones has made.

The first is obviously in the ball security department, which he started to show improvement in late last year. But the biggest will be in his post-snap reads and processing, something that has long been a problem for Jones ever since he landed on an NFL field.

The game of football is a fast one that is custom-made for those with a high football intelligence. Jones, the former Duke star, is said to have an extremely high football IQ, but thus far, he hasn’t shown it consistently on the field. And that needs to change in a hurry if he’s to quell any lingering concerns about his suitability to be this team’s franchise quarterback.

Jones won’t be the only focus this week. His offensive line, which should have all its members except for left guard Shane Lemieux (knee), whose status is to-be-determined, will be under the spotlight as well. 

The Giants famously declined to add to the unit in the off-season other than for a couple of depth signings (Zach Fulton and Jonotthan Harrison), one of whom (Fulton) retired early on in camp.

The Giants have insisted that the unit will grow with more reps under the guidance of offensive line coach Rob Sale, assistant offensive line coach Ben Wilkerson, and offensive consultant Pat Flaherty.

The offensive roster spots are mostly set, or so it would appear, but there are still some loose ends to be tied up. For example, will the Giants keep four running backs and a fullback or three and two? How many tight ends will they keep?

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Perhaps the biggest question of all on the offense: who will round out the bottom of the depth chart at receiver, where names such as David Sills V, Matt Cole, C.J. Board, and John Ross are among those looking to make the final cut?

On defense, the Giants don’t quite have the same problem that the offense has, meaning that with perhaps the exception of cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (ankle), they expect to have everyone available to play this evening.

But the defense also has some questions to answer, namely the depth at cornerback. Figure

James Bradberry, Jackson, Darnay Holmes, and Keion Johnson (special teamer) are all locks. Then who? Will it be rookie Rodarius Williams, who has flashed throughout the summer? Madre Harper, who also brings value on special teams? 

Or maybe even Sam Beal, who continues to fascinate the Giants despite his limited game snaps given his talent that some sloppy technique has otherwise marred?

And what of the defensive line, where the play of David Moa and Raymond Johnson III has suddenly made things interesting? The Giants are projected to keep five guys at this spot, with Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence II, and Austin Johnson likely locks. Danny Shelton should be the fourth guy on this unit.

But do the Giants swap B.J. Hill, a third-round draft pick from 2018, for Johnson, the undrafted rookie free agent who is tied or the team lead with Moa in quarterback pressures this summer (6)?

These and more are all questions for which Giants hope to have some answers taking shape once the game clock reads all zeros tonight.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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