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What We Learned After New York Giants Camp Practice No. 4

What have we learned so far after four New York Giants training camp practces?

Patricia Traina

What We Learned After New York Giants Camp Practice No. 4
What We Learned After New York Giants Camp Practice No. 4 /
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East Rutherford, N.J. -- After several days of hot, humid, and sticky weather, the New York Giants' final day in their camp acclimation period couldn't have been more perfect weather-wise. With temperatures hovering in the 80s, the giants and their loyal fans got a picture-perfect day to celebrate the league-wide "Back Together" event, which included alumni autograph signings by former receivers Plaxico Burress and Mario Manningham, and running back Keith Elias.

The Giants will have Sunday as a day of rest before returning to the field on Monday in full pads for an intense week of practice that will be capped by the planned Blue and White Scrimmage on Friday night. Meanwhile, let's look at what we learned from the Giants' fourth practice of the summer.

Daboll Not Jumping to Any Conclusions

Overall, it can probably be said that the Giants' offense didn't look as sharp as the defense did this week.

That's nothing new, and in fact, that opinion depends on how the coaches view the practices. But regardless, if anyone is looking for head coach Brian Daboll to arrive at any conclusions about what he's seen after four days of practices in which the players weren't in pads, and no live contact was allowed, you're going to be disappointed.

“Some of those guys, it’s the first time in this offense where they’re practicing with Daniel,” Daboll said on Saturday. “We’re kind of day-by-day, get better each day, have a positive mindset, and correct the things you have to correct."

The evaluation period will start once the team can get into pads, which will be Monday. And even then, Daboll cautioned people from making quick conclusions.

"There’s an old ball coach who’s been pretty successful who used (to say), 'Let’s not be an instant evaluator.' We’ll give these guys a little bit of time here."

That includes allowing for a few days in pads.

"That’s really when training – I mean, this is great. There’s a lot of good teaching out here," Daboll said. "It’s like I said in the spring, it’s a teaching camp. It’s competitive because there are fans and the nature of training camp. But the evaluation process of the things they need to do physically and they’re able to do that, really exert that a little bit more, I think we’re all waiting for that."

Jul 29, 2022; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll shakes hands with cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) after an interception during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility / Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Don't Count Darnay Holmes Out

Ever since he was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft out of UCLA, cornerback Darnay Holmes has seemingly had the odds stacked against him, only to rise above it.

In three seasons for UCLA, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Holmes played outside cornerback on 1,852 snaps while manning the slot for just 76 snaps. Yet when he arrived in East Rutherford, the Giants moved Holmes inside to the slot (likely due to concerns about size mismatches with bigger receivers), and he wasn't too shabby in the role.

Holmes, as a rookie, played in 501 coverage snaps and didn't give up a touchdown. He also recorded one interception and three pass breakups in his snaps en route to a season-ending 91.2 NFL coverage rating.

The following year, the Giants looked as though they wanted to upgrade the slot position. They drafted Aaron Robinson out of UCF, liking his length and size for the position. But Robinson started the year on PUP while recovering from a sports hernia injury.

Meanwhile, Holmes lost snaps to Julian Love before a season-ending knee injury in Week 12 ended holmes' second season early.

With Robinson and Love projected for different roles in the defense this year, Holmes still has to fight for his ground, this time against third-round pick Cor'Dale Flott. While the rookie has shown some promise, Holmes has started camp on fire.

He's recorded three interceptions in the team's first three practices, and he forced a big turnover against running back Saquon Barkley by punching the ball out of Barkley's grasp. The loose pigskin was scooped up by Love and returned for a touchdown.

If Holmes keeps making these plays during camp and the preseason games, it will be difficult not to include him on the initial 53-man roster.

New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) catches the ball during mandatory minicamp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in East Rutherford.
New York Giants wide receiver Kenny Golladay (19) catches the ball during mandatory minicamp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in East Rutherford :: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Golladay's Up and Down Camp

After finishing last season with zero touchdown receptions, it's probably safe to say that the heat is on receiver Kenny Golladay to produce.

And while Golladay has spoken favorably of the Giants' new offense, his showing in it has, at least thus far, been up and down.

Golladay had a bad drop in the first practice of camp on a perfectly thrown pass by quarterback Daniel Jones along the sideline near the end zone, a contested pass (a Golladay strength). The next day he dropped a perfectly placed ball by Jones about five yards shy of the goal line.

Then on Saturday, he had another drop on a ball from Jones that the receiver couldn't find the handle on, leaving it vulnerable for Adoree' Jackson to smack out of his hands. That drop prompted a fan in the stands to yell out, "Seventy-two million, referring to the dollar amount of Golladay's contract with the team.

Golladay has had a few moments where he's looked more like himself, but it's probably not speaking out of turn when we say that the Giants would like to see fewer drops and missed opportunities and more plays being made by their No. 1 receiver.

Jun 7, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Richie James (80) participates in a drill during minicamp at MetLife Stadium / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Early Surprise 

Receiver Richie James has picked up where he left off in the spring when he received first-team reps during the medically-related absences of Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Kadarius Toney.

James, who also has been working as a returner on special teams, is making a strong push for a roster spot. If he gets it, that should put him as the fourth or fifth receiver on the depth chat (depending on if Shepard is cleared to return by the start of the season).

In three seasons, James has a 7.3 average on punt returns and a 23.0 average on kickoff returns, on which he also has a touchdown. That's not bad for a guy that has dealt with season-ending hamstring and knee issues since being drafted in the seventh round by the 49ers.

But the potential is there for James as both a return specialist and a receiver. James recorded two straight 1,000-yard seasons at Middle Tennessee State but could not make it a hat trick in his final year in college as he was limited to just five games that season. James did finish with 3,249 receiving yards on 243 receptions and had 23 touchdowns.

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Blue Notes

Center Jon Feliciano missed his second day of practice while continuing his recovery from a heat-related issue suffered during Thursday's practice. The Giants, who have already worked Jamil Douglas, Max Garcia, and Ben Bredeson at center this camp, gave some first-team reps to Shane Lemieux. Meanwhile, rookie Joshua Ezeudu, the team's third-round draft pick, stepped in for Lemieux at left guard with the first-team offense.

Second-year outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring, NFI) remains sidelined. Head coach Brian Daboll, who at the start of the camp said Ojulari might be a while with the injury suffered while working away from the team's facility, said Saturday that there is no timetable on when Ojulari might be able to return.

Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones missed his second day of practice due to an undisclosed reason.

Fight! The Giants had their first training camp scuffle of the summer when defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence took exception to something Mark Glowinski did during a play. Lawrence was pulled off of Glowinski, but then was dropped to the ground before the scuffle was broken up.

The Giants have Sunday off and then return to the field Monday, where they will be in pads for the first time this summer. 

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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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