With the official start of training camp just a few days away, the New York Giants are an enigma. There are more unknowns than knowns at the current moment with much to be decided and discovered over the next five weeks.
The fanbase is energized and enthusiastic over the widespread changes general manager Dave Gettleman and many are optimistic the Giants could be a surprise team this season.
Realists have a different view. They look at the Giants as a team in transition that has much to prove before they are confident Gettleman’s direction for the team is the correct path.
There are many questions to be answered as the rookies and selected vets report to the facility today. We narrowed it down to three.
Quarterback: Manning or Jones?
There’s no getting around it. Even if Eli Manning takes every first team snap in camp, there will be questions regarding when top draft pick Daniel Jones will usurp him as the starter.
That doesn’t appear to be the plan, however. Head coach Pat Shurmur has vowed that Jones “will be ready” to play early this season, especially if he’s the No. 2 man on the depth chart.
The Giants burned the No. 6 overall pick in the draft on Jones, meaning benching him for the entire season isn’t really an option. No. 6 picks are expected to pay dividends in Year One (see: Jamal Adams, Quenton Nelson) and if the Giants are moving on from Manning after this season, what’s the point of delaying the inevitable.
Still, there is the possibility the Giants do surprise, and after the all the losing over the past six years, the brass may opt to keep Manning under center the entire season if a postseason berth is within reach.
Is the offensive line fixed?
I would say not quite yet as Gettleman is in Year 2 of a three-year rebuild. The only two players I would say can put down roots are the guards, Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler. The others are all in flux.
Nate Solder is in the second year of a very generous four-year deal and the Giants are leaning on him to be the veteran voice in the room. But now that Zeitler is here, Solder’s leadership value may not be as high which could make him expendable beyond this season.
That aside, the Giants will need Solder to continue his strong performance in pass protection and amp up the effort in the run game. If he can do that, the Giants should have three solid lineman this season.
Center is still uncertain at center with Jon Halapio coming back from injury and Spencer Pulley seeking to unseat him. Both players are decent options but this is a position that Gettleman will look to upgrade unless one (or both) of these players shows marked improvement.
Right tackle is also a question mark. The Giants signed veteran Mike Remmers to a one-year deal, but he’s also rehabbing from offseason surgery. Gettleman drafted Kentucky’s George Asafo-Adjei this spring and the team still has Chad Wheeler on the roster but the future at right tackle is still very fluid.
How good can that young secondary be?
Well, considering that three of the four starting defensive backfield positions will be manned by veterans (Janoris Jenkins, Antoine Bethea and Jabril Peppers), this question seems kind of moot.
Or is it? Jenkins might be in his last season as a Giant. That is, if he even makes it through the season. He was nearly traded last year at the deadline and if the young corners show promise, Gettleman could pull the trigger on a deal at the trade deadline. That would leave both corner positions in the hands of rookies.
But those rookies are all highly regarded. First round pick Deandre Baker is being touted as a “shutdown” corner. He will battle Sam Beal for the starting role across from Jenkins. Beal also has yet to play a down in the NFL after missing his entire rookie season in 2018 with a shoulder injury.
Fourth-round pick Julian Love will go head to head with Grant Haley for the slot corner spot. Love is already being heralded as a draft “steal” and Haley, an undrafted surprise last year, isn’t about step aside after all the progress he’s made.
There are other youngsters in the mix such as second-year safety Sean Chandler and rookies Corey Ballentine, Mark McLaurin and Jake Carlock. They’ll be challenged for roster spots by Michael Thomas, Tony Lippett, Antonio Hamilton, Henre Tolliver, Ronald Zamort, Kenny Ladler and Kenny Adewusi.
As you can see, there’s a lot to be settled here even if three of the four slots will be played by veterans. No one is quite sure what the Giants have. That’s what training camp and the preseason is for.
