Sportsnaut
Offseason activities are ramping up as the New York Giants reported to OTAs this week.
With just under two months until the team reports to training camp in July, these OTA sessions mark the beginning of what the organization hopes will be a year of redemption.
With a roster full of new faces, several intriguing storylines have emerged. Here are the top four storylines for the Giants in OTAs.
As expected, Russell Wilson took the bulk of reps with the first-team offense at Wednesday’s practice, with Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart getting a few snaps with the first unit as well. Tommy DeVito was relegated to the third-team offense.
The quarterback rotation came as no surprise since Wilson is the clear starter and is acclimating to his new team and Brian Daboll’s offense. Wilson struggled early during practice but found his rhythm as the session progressed, throwing a touchdown to Darius Slayton. Dart also threw a touchdown to Jalin Hyatt, who is looking to break out in his third season.
Expect the Giants to continue this rotation for the remainder of spring and summer.
The team has already declined Evan Neal’s fifth-year option, meaning he will be a free agent following this season. However, the organization is trying to salvage his final year by moving him from right tackle to guard.
The expectation was Neal would take reps at right guard, but so far in OTAs, he’s been working at left guard. Since there’s limited contact during these sessions, it’s difficult to assess his progress with the transition. This will be something to monitor throughout the offseason.
The team is being cautious with Malik Nabers, keeping him out of OTAs while he deals with a toe injury. In his absence, Hyatt has seen several reps with the first-team offense and caught a touchdown from Dart.
He’s also building rapport with Wilson, who said Hyatt has untapped potential. The offense plans to push the ball downfield more this season, and Hyatt should benefit from that approach. How he develops chemistry with Wilson and the other quarterbacks will be worth watching.
There’s considerable excitement surrounding third overall pick Abdul Carter, who was widely regarded as the best pass rusher in this draft class. The only question is how the team will use him when they already have edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Shortly after drafting Carter, the organization made it known that all three edge rushers would be on the field simultaneously. Since the media only had access to Wednesday’s practice, we didn’t see how defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will utilize his top three edge rushers. As the offseason progresses and media access increases, we’ll gain more insight into how the team plans to use their talented rookie pass rusher.
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