Giants mandatory minicamp concludes: 7 takeaways
The New York Giants closed the door on their mandatory three-day minicamp on Thursday with an extra day off.
Rather than conduct the final practice, which was scheduled to be a short 45 minutes, head coach Brian Daboll called things off and held an organizational BBQ instead. It was a welcomed change-of-pace for players.
Given that the Giants have had nearly 100 percent attendance since the start of the offseason program, Daboll felt there was little left to gain. And with that decision, the team’s veterans are now off until training camp begins in late July.
Here are seven takeaways from the “three-day” minicamp.
Daniel Jones cleared for contact
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If the Giants were headed into Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans right now, quarterback Daniel Jones would be cleared to play.
“Yeah,” Daboll told reporters when asked if Jones was cleared for contact. “But we don’t have a game today. Long way away.”
Jones, of course, missed the final several weeks last season after sustaining a serious neck injury.
Full attendance
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As noted earlier in this article, Daboll says the Giants had full attendance during the three-day minicamp and a near-full attendance throughout the offseason program.
The exception, of course, was wide receiver Kadarius Toney missing the first couple of weeks.
“We’ve been at it for a long time with the extra camp. We’ve had two. Guys have had great attendance. Feel very good about where we are at in terms of the spring and what we’ve got accomplished,” Daboll said.
Key players sidelined with injury
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Although there is reason to be optimistic given the team’s full attendance during minicamp, there are also plenty of reasons to be pessimistic.
It’s still very early and a lot can change between now and the regular season, but red jerseys were aplenty, especially in the wide receivers room.
Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney were the most notable trio to be wearing non-contact attire. They were joined by first-round rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has been dealing with an undisclosed issue for a couple weeks.
“Guys that we’ve got to take a little bit off them on June 8 so they’re ready to go full on July 26, I think that’s being smart,” Daboll said.
Wink's defense dominated early
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On the first day of minicamp, Wink Martindale’s defense dominated and frustrated the Giants’ offense.
“You know, Wink came out with some Wink stuff today,” center Jon Feliciano said after the first day. “Let me tell you, going against Wink’s defense is going to be great for us in the long run, but I’m not going to lie to you if it doesn’t get frustrating sometimes, you know what I’m saying? Which is great, but not right now.”
Martindale was mixing the looks, blitzing from all over the field and just generally causing confusion. And while the offense rebounded a bit on Day 2, they are notably behind the defense.
A lighter atmosphere
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Perhaps the most notable takeaway from minicamp is how much the atmosphere has changed under Brian Daboll. Unlike with Joe Judge before him, players felt more free to make mistakes and not incur an immediate wrath. . . after a brief transition period.
“You can just kind of tell people get a little scared when they mess up,” Jon Feliciano said, noting that players from the Judge era still expect strict discipline. “No one likes messing up. But, like, it’s OK.
“Dabes wants you to take chances. If something happens, it’s all right. It’s not all right, but this is the time for it to happen.”
Saquon appears healthy
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After an offseason of trade rumors, Saquon Barkley was back on the field for the Giants and looks as healthy as ever.
“I’ll tell you, I feel a lot better than I felt at this point last year,” Barkley said. “Like you said, I was rehabbing. My body feels good. My body feels strong. Feel like I got my strength back. Feel like I got my speed back. Feel like I can trust my knee again, trust myself to make plays and not think about it.”
That’s good news for the Giants, who obviously intend to heavily feature Barkley offensively.
Throughout OTAs and minicamp, Barkley was being used all over the field. He was especially active as a receiver, even lining up outside and taking on key routes.
Tryout players
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It’s rare to have tryout players during a mandatory minicamp, but the Giants had a handful in East Rutherford this week.
Among those giving things a go were wide receivers Isaiah Ford and Keelan Doss, tight end Jaeden Graham and defensive tackle Kobe Smith.
None of the tryout players were immediately signed to a contract.
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