Giants Country

Here's What Happened at Practice 1 of Giants Training Camp

The New York Giants held their first practice of 2024 on Wednesday. Here's everything you need to know about the day at camp.

Patricia Traina

Aug 1, 2023; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants helmets rest on the grass field during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Facility.
Aug 1, 2023; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants helmets rest on the grass field during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Things are going to be different this year for the New York Giants.

We hope, right?

But seriously, after watching how last year, the Giants seemed to coast through training camp in an effort to keep guys healthy, this time around, they hit the ground running with a greater sense of urgency.

No, the pads weren’t popping–that won’t happen until Monday, when the mandatory acclimation period is over. But unlike the start of camp last year, there was no tiptoeing to start camp. 

Instead, we saw several 11-on-11 periods and no 7-on-7s. We saw more of an uptempo to the practice and we saw more hustle. 

(For anyone at this point who might be concerned about the Giants burning out on Day 1, don’t be.)

Head coach Brian Daboll, in his joint press conference with general manager Joe Schoen, wouldn’t go into specifics about what changes he was making to training camp, but this one was hard to miss. 

After the Giants came out of the gate flatter than day-old soda last year, there is a greater sense of urgency in Year 3 of the Daboll Schoen era, and it was nice to see the players respond accordingly.

Whether this means the start of the upcoming season will be different remains to be seen. But at least this time, the Giants seem to be giving themselves every possible chance to ensure that last year’s 6-11 record was just an aberration and that they’re closer to being the team they were in 2022 when they went 9-7-1.

Here are the highlights from the practice, which was conducted in shorts and helmets.

CONTENTS

  1. Here We Go Again
  2. Simmons' New Role
  3. Play of the Day
  4. Giants Injury Report
  5. Practice Musings
  6. Lineup Notes
  7. Giants Training Camp Schedule
  8. Quote of the Day
  9. Latest from Training Camp
  10. Fun Fact
  11. See Also

Here We Go Again

At this point, it’s fair to wonder if the Giants' offensive line is cursed.

It’s not so much that right tackle Evan Neal started camp on the PUP list, which was expected after how things unfolded in the spring. 

But right on cue, Neal’s replacement, Jermaine Eluemunor, one of the key offseason free-agent signings, suffered what appeared to be a rib injury on a team drill, which saw him crumble to the ground and remained there for several minutes while being attended to by trainers. 

The team sent out a cart for Eluemunor, who was clutching the left side of his body, but he declined it and walked off the field flanked by two members of the team’s medical staff. 

There was no official word on Eluemunor’s injury and how long he might be out, if at all, but certainly, it was an inauspicious start for an offensive line that must be light years better than what it’s been in the past.

Eluemunor, by the way, was replaced by Joshua Ezeudu at right tackle. 

Simmons' New Role

Inside linebacker Isaaih Simmons is looking forward to his expanded role in new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s defense because, in part, it’s similar to what he played in Arizona under Vance Joseph when, in 2021, Simmons recorded 105 tackles, one interception, four forced fumbles, and 1.5 sacks.  

“I think it does give me more consistency,” Simmons said of his new role for Bowen. “Allows me to settle in and…just allows me to master something first and then get into doing other things because I played nickel, and it's not like I changed positions within different things we were doing.”

Simmons, who spent the early part of practice working with the linebackers for one set of individual drills before joining the safeties for other drills, explained that in his previous role, the call often changed his responsibility on any given play. “It wasn't so much of, ‘Oh, this play, I'm gonna go in and play safety this play, I'm gonna go play SAM this play, I'm gonna go play linebacker,’” he said. 

“Everything was always me at the nickel spot. It was just based on the call–it could be a different alignment or a different responsibility. So I think this makes me a lot more comfortable with that just because it could allow me to do the exact same thing– allows me to just really focus in, get set, and then focus on what I have to do.” 

Play of the Day

Outside linebacker/defensive end Boogie Basham picked off a pass by Drew Lock off a deflection made by defensive lineman Jordan Phillips. Basham snagged the ball while it was in the air and made the mad dash down the near sideline for the Pick-6.

Giants Injury Report

As already noted, offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor left practice early after appearing to take a shot to his rib cage. Eluemunor was able to walk off he field under his own power, but he was clearly in discomfort.

ILB Carter Coughlin left practice midway through with an undisclosed ailment.

  • PUP: TE Theo Johnson (hip), RT Evan Neal (ankle), CB Aaron Robinson (knee)
  • NFI: DB Jalen Mills (calf), DB Stantley Thomas-Oliver (groin)
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones
Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) passes the ball during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Practice Musings

With this being the first pratice of the summer, there were no pads allowed, so the tempo and pace of the practice just seemed liek a continuation of the spring. But Day 1 last year was mostly 7 on 7 & Daniel Jones only threw 4 passes in 11 on 11. 

Daniel Jones looked lively in his first 11-on-11 action since tearing his ACL. Jones moved well and showed no side effects whatsoever of his ailment. He continues to wear a compression sleeve on his leg, but he has certainly made incredible progress since his surgery in November. 

Although he was playing with a bounce in his step, Jones was clearly rusty, having misfired a few passes. Unofficially, I had him going 8-of-14, but among his incompletions were a couple of drops and one batted pass.

New York Giants
Jul 24, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle D.J. Davidson (98) and defensive tackle Casey Rogers (91) run on the field during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Lineup Notes

With Evan Neal starting training camp on the PUP list, the Giants went with Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle and Aaron Stinnie at left guard.

This could be telling as to how the team’s brass feels about NEal potentially being back in the starting lineup. Something has been off with the former Alabama offensive lineman’s recovery, to the point that a question was put to general manager Joe Schoen about why, with all the state-of-the-art resources and treatment methods out there, NEal still isn’t ready to return.

Schoen chalked it up to every injury and person being different, which might be true. But left unsaid is how much Neal actually put into the process.

As for the significance of Eluemunor at right tackle, this is telling to a degree because if NEal isn’t that far away from returning, one would have thought Joshua Ezeudu (who replaced Eluemunor when he suffered his upper body injury) would have stepped in at right tackle to keep the seat warm.

Instead, it sounds like the staff is looking to move ahead with Eluemunor at the position, with Neal possibly getting some cross-training at guard when he retires.

As usual, head coach Brian Daboll didn’t commit either way, but the handwriting does appear to be on the wall. MeanwhileJoshua Ezeudu got the first team reps at right tackle once Eluemunor went down. 

  • ILB Dyonte Johnson got a few first-team reps last in practice. He could be a sleeper to make the 53-man roster.
  • TE Lawrence Cager, who is competing for that third tight end spot, made a beautiful downfield catch on a ball thrown by Drew Lock. It went for the first touchdown of the day.

Giants Training Camp Schedule

The Giants will have practices on Thursday and Friday beginning at 10 a.m. Both will be open to the public (weather permitting) who hold a free training camp admission ticket. Both practices will run until approximately 12 noon.

The Giants will be off on Saturday.

Quote of the Day

"Obviously, you're not excited about it. But they have a job to do. I've got a job to do. So, it is what it is, and we're at this point now. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have, excited to play football, and that's kinda my focus now." -- QB Daniel Jones, when asked about general manager Joe Schoen's conversation with him in which the general manager told Jones that the team was doing its due diligence into possibly adding a quarterback in the draft.

Latest from Training Camp

The present...

The future...

Fun Fact

LT Andrew Thomas said he won the team's body fat loss competition. Thomas looks much trimmer this year, which should hopefully help him put less stress on his lower body.

New York Giants LT Andrew Thomas
New York Giants LT Andrew Thomas / Patricia Traina | NewYorkGiantsOnSI.com

See Also

Training camp previews: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Receivers | Tight ends | Offensive line | Defensive line | Inside Linebackers | Outside Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties

"Good, Great, and Ugly" Film Reviews: TE Daniel Bellinger | WR Wan'Dale Robinson | OC John Michael Schmitz | QB Tommy DeVito | LT Andrew Thomas | QB Daniel Jones | ILB Micah McFadden | ILB Bobby Okereke | CB Deonte Banks | OT Evan Neal

Published
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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