Preview: Nabers Will Test Lions' Secondary

Looking ahead to upcoming joint practices, preseason opener between Lions and Giants.

Jul 25, 2024; East Rutherford, NY, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (9) and cornerback Deonte Banks (3) react after a drill during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

Patricia Traina is a beat reporter for Giants On SI. Traina answered five questions from Lions On SI to preview the upcoming joint practices and Thursday's preseason game between the Lions and Giants.

1.) What have been the early storylines at Giants training camp? 

Patricia Taina: The first is the up-and-down play of quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones, who is coming off a torn ACL, is in a make-or-break year this season as they can unload his contract after this season if he comes up short.

The offensive line is also a big story line. Last year the unit was historically bad—it allowed 85 sacks, second most in league history. This year they remade the interior with veterans and hired a new offensive line coach (Carmen Bricillo, previously with the Raiders).

But there have been some injuries that have messed up the projected starting five. Right tackle Evan Neal is currently on the PUP list with an ankle issue. Center John Michael Schmitz has missed five practices with a shoulder ailment to the same shoulder that cost him three games last season.

They have been rotating the interior guys a lot (the interior being the weak spot on the unit last year) and they don’t appear to be any closer to a solution.

And there are questions still about whether the offense will struggle after not re-signing Saquon Barkley, though I personally think they’ll be okay with their running game.

Defensively, there are still questions regarding CB2. Cor’Dale Flott, the incumbent, has been up and down thus far. The Giants threw their support behind him after they couldn’t land a more established veteran in free agency. So that unit is a problem.

On the plus side, there is the revamped defensive pass rush starring Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence II. They have looked good so far in camp.

Overall, this is a big year for general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. This team needs to show progress, otherwise I don’t want to think what next offseason is going to be like.

2.) How has rookie WR Malik Nabers looked in training camp?

Traina: As advertised. The speed …  the separation … the explosive play making ability… you name it, and it’s been there. There is a lot of excitement about Malik Nabers, who has quickly become a favorite pass target of quarterback Daniel Jones’s.

And the scary thing is he’s still learning more of the offense and the different roles they want him to play so the sky remains the limit for him.

3.) What will Brian Burns add to the Giants defense? 

Traina: Speed. Power. Relentlessness. In all seriousness, though, The Giants haven’t’ been two deep at edge rusher in quite some time, so by adding Burns, who is still young and has been highly productive, to the mix, the Giants can now force opponents to “pick their poison” as far as where to devote additional resources to stopping the rush.

4. Which battles next week should Lions fans pay attention to? 

Traina: I’ll give you three:

WR Malik Nabers versus the Lions' top cornerback. Nabers has, at times, made Deonte Banks (the Giants’ top cornerback) look lost out there, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he does against a new face.

The Lions defensive front vs. the Giants offensive line. The Giants o-line is still in  a state of flux, and it’s had some ups and downs. The second-string line looked horrible the other day. But what I really want to see is how the interior of the first-team line holds up.

The Giants’ pass rush vs. the Liosn o-line. Dexter Lawrence is getting over illness but he’s still better at 50 percent than most people are at 100 percent. So, I’m very interested to see how much pressure the Giants front can get against the Lions.

5. Is Brian Daboll on the hot seat? 

Traina: I really don’t think so. I mean he’d have to do something egregious such as lose the locker room or something worse to really have the heat cranked up under his seat.

That said, team president and co-owner John Mara has made it clear that he expects to see improvement. If this team finishes with fewer than six wins (their win total last year), that is not going to go over well with Mara Steve Tisch, the other co-owner of the team.

They spent a lot of money and resources to shore up their biggest weaknesses, and if there is no return on the investment, things could get interesting in East Rutherford at the end of the year.