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What We Learned from New York Giants Training Camp Practice No. 7

The Giants are now a full week into their first summer training camp under head coach Brian Daboll. Here are some takeaways from the seventh practice.

Patricia Traina

What We Learned from New York Giants Training Camp Practice No. 7
What We Learned from New York Giants Training Camp Practice No. 7 /
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East Rutherford, N.J. - The New York Giants were back in pads Wednesday on another hot and humid day in their seventh summer practice. Let's run down the highlights.

Evan Neal Looks Like a Rookie

Offensive tackle Evan Neal might be a top-seven draft pick, but he’s still a rookie adjusting to the NFL's speed.

Neal has had an up and down week of practice so far, particularly in the one-on-one pass rush drills where he’s been schooled by fellow rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux.

This particular video clip doesn’t show the entire play, nor is it run in real-time speed, but there was no doubt that Thibodeaux got the better of his fellow rookie teammate, who drew a holding flag on one such matchup, in the one-on-one drills.

Quincy Roche, who initially jumped off-side, also easily got around Neal in the one-on-one matchups.

On the plus side, Neal is an absolute brick wall regarding run blocking. The Giants ran a few successful off-tackle runs on the right side, with the rookie paving the way.

Kenny Golladay Has a Day

After a slow start to camp, receiver Kenny Golladay has started to settle into the offense and make plays. In fact, he had the play of the day Wednesday when he came down with a Daniel Jones pass thrown to him along the sideline with Adoree Jackson in coverage. 

Golladay not only won the contested match but also managed to walk the tight rope and stay in bounds to come down with the roughly 30-yard completion.

That wasn’t the end of Golladay’s big day. He won another contested battle against Aaron Robinson on a comeback route securing the ball and turning up field for some yards after the catch. And he came down with another reception against Jackson (below), on a pass perfectly placed and over-the-shoulder for the touchdown.

Injury Report

Jon Feliciano was back in drills nearly a week after suffering a heat/hydration issue. Feliciano’s reps were managed, with Garrett McGhin, signed after the start of camp, and Jamil Douglas both getting some of the reps.

Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones remains unable to practice. The Giants have not said what Seals-Jones is dealing with or how long he might be absent, but with him sidelined, that has opened the door for Chris Myarick to get some quality snaps with the first team offense, snaps that Myarick has been taking advantage of.

Running back Antonio Williams and wide receiver Robert Foster, both of whom were banged up in Tuesday’s practice, did not practice Wednesday. Also not practicing were offensive tackle Matt Gono and cornerback Rodarius Williams.

Daniel Jones Builds on Tuesday’s Practice

On Tuesday, it could be argued that quarterback Daniel Jones had his best practice of the summer. His follow-up wasn’t too shabby either, as he threw several well-placed balls.

I asked head coach Brian Daboll about Jones and if he’s becoming more comfortable with taking chances down the field.

“Time will tell,” he said. “You know, we certainly encourage that, particularly in training camp and spring. We want to make the right decision, but I also think there’s an element mentally in a quarterback’s head of the fear of failure or making a mistake.

“I think everything is risk/reward when talking about plays for a quarterback. Like is the risk worth the reward? And if it is, let’s go ahead.”

Daboll stressed that for Jones and all the quarterbacks, it’s not so much about the completions or incompletions at this point as it is about making the correct decisions.

“Really, what I want Daniel to do is make the right play. Make the right decision. And there are certain periods that we want to test the deep part of the field or see how the secondary covers, sure, but for the most part, we want to make a good decision with the football and go on to the next play. If that’s a 60-yarder down the field, that’s a 60-yarder. If it’s a check to a run, check to a run.”

So how has Jones been doing in that regard?

“I think he’s steadily improved since we got here. He’s learning a whole new language. It’s not just for Daniel; it’s any young quarterback or new quarterback in a new system. There’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot to handle. So, he’s making progress.

“But we still, we’re constantly teaching, and we’re evolving as to what we do. Still, we’re trying to figure out what we do well, too. There might be a certain route concept that we ran yesterday where after we tried it three or four times, I’m telling (Offensive Coordinator Mike) Kafka like, ‘Let’s just move on from that play.’ But we need to practice it to see if that’s something we’re good at. And I think the quarterback also has to have some input on that. So, he’s making improvements each day.”

Other Observations/Notes

Giants running back Saquon Barkley was spotted working with Laura Young working on his pass blocking while the rest of the team was in a special teams period. Pass blocking has always been something of a problem for Barkley, so it was good to see him working on that.

Speaking of Barkley, he committed a rare mental mistake when he ran a play in the wrong direction. The running back got an earful from Daboll, but Barkley ran the play correctly on the re-do.

Joshua Ezeudu, who has worked at left guard and left tackle so far, got some snaps at right tackle. Ezeudu is proving to be quite the versatile swingman in various positions.

Daboll said that he would have the coordinators on the sideline for Friday’s scrimmage; after that, he will decide where they will operate for the preseason games. He’s also planning on having the entire team on one sideline rather than putting the offense on one side and the defense on the other. The Giants will begin the scrimmage with a special teams period and then go into scripted situations.

Rookie receiver Wan’Dale Robinson had a rare drop on a pass thrown by Daniel Jones on a flare. Darnay Holmes was in coverage.

Tyrod Taylor, who has an off-field connection with Darius Slayton through their training in Georgia, connected with the receiver on a long touchdown pass.

Running back Matt Breida had a long touchdown run that was largely benefited by the Giants blitz. The defense overloaded one side, and Breida took advantage of the clear lane to scamper up the field, hugging the sideline and into the end zone.

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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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