New York Giants Hold Their Own Against Lions in Final Joint Practice

Giants receiver Malik Nabers had himself a day as more fisticuffs erupted.

Jul 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (9) speaks at a press conference after training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell wanted to see spirited practices over these two days, but when that “spirit” became disruptive, both men drew the line.

It didn't stop the two teams from going at it again. While the dustups happened during the final part of the practice, when the two teams united on one field, there weren’t as many fights. Yet, because the fights had to stop practice, the two coaches decided to cancel the final period of the session.

The main dustups saw Giants receiver Malik Nabers, who toasted the Lions' defensive secondary in the two sessions (16 of 17 catches, two deep touchdowns) go at it with Lions safety Kerby Joseph after Terrion Arnold broke up a red zone attempt from Daniel Jones to Nabers.

Malik Nabers did a drive by and started fighting the whole team 😂 pic.twitter.com/50kkscotrs

— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) August 6, 2024

Nabers was running by Joseph and appeared to try to pat the defender on the head in a show of respect, but his action triggered Joseph instead.

“It’s hot. We’re competing. Stuff like that is going to happen. It’s football at the end of the day,” Nabers said after practice.

The Giants rookie declined to say what Joseph said to him after that play ended. Nabers said he meant no harm by his action.  

“That’s the competitor in me,” he said, adding that he was aware that such actions done in a game would have more dire consequences.

 “I’m highly alert of everything,” he said. “They say, I'm a competitive person. I'm able to go out and play with these guys.”

Another dustup occurred when defensive back Morice Norris, who clocked running back Eric Gray on Monday’s practice to trigger a brawl, hit Gunner Olszewski with a couple of punches. Olszewski, to his credit, walked away from the incident. 

Practice ended with Kayvon Thibodeaux shoving a Lions player along the Giants’ sidelines.  

• RELATED: Biggest Takeaway from Giants-Lions Joint Practices

Injury Report

Cornerback Christian Holmes (undisclosed) and receiver Dennis Houston (hamstring) joined the list of plates who didn’t practice. That list also includes tight end Lawrence Cager (hamstring), center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), tight end Jack Stoll (concussion), and linebacker Tomon Fox (hamstring).

Boogie Basham was carted off the field and taken back to the locker room for an IV as the heat and humidity of the day was again unbearable. Brian Burns rolled his right ankle, but he simply got it retaped and went back out there to finish his reps.

Evan Neal (ankle) remains on PUP.

Some other takeaways…

We got a look at the new “dynamic” kickoff return. Olszewski and Ayir Asante were first up on the return, followed by Dante Miller and Isaiah McKenzie. Miller had a nice explosive return off a well-placed block. Olszewski also turned in a solid return on his turn.  

As was the case on Monday, the Lions' running game continued to have success against the Giants' run defense. Detroit had a couple of long runs off the edges, and the Giants' defenders got sealed off on the play.

In the o-line vs. the defense 1-on-1s, Brian Burns was just unstoppable, regardless of who he went against. Burns zipped around his man and into the backfield, winning his reps. 

Azeez Ojulari had a forgettable session in the 1-on-1s. Twice he got swallowed up by a much bigger and stronger opponent and on another, he was tossed to the ground like a rag doll.

Kalif Raymond got the first kickoff return of the practice, and he broke through a wall of Giants to take it to the house.

Aidan Hutchinson and Kyle Peko kept the Giants rushing game at bay. 

The Giants’ second-team offense moved the football quite effectively, highlighted by a long touchdown tossed by Drew Lock to receiver Gunner Olszewski. Lock actually had a nice practice, finding his targets for a couple of red zone scores. 

Throughout the practice, the Giants' offense took advantage of opportunities to call screen plays and short and intermediate passes to secure receptions, as Detroit's secondary was giving a healthy amount of cushion during team periods.  

Thus far in the battle for CB2, Nick McCloud has looked ahead of Cor’Dale Flott. McCloud broke up a pass intended for Jameson Williams. Flott had a pass breakup as well earlier in the practice, but overall he’s been inconsistent.

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