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Cover 3: What to look for at upcoming OTAs

May 19, 2025 at 10:50 AM

by John Schmeelk, Dan Salomone & Matt Citak

Upon their return from the upcoming holiday weekend, the New York Giants will enter a pivotal stretch on the NFL calendar: Organized Team Activities, otherwise known as OTAs.

Teams may conduct 10 of these spring practices over the next four weeks, with the Giants scheduled to hold theirs May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3, June 5, June 9-10, and June 12-13. While no live contact is permitted, the third and final phase of the offseason workout program is the first opportunity for teams to conduct 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills with their full roster. The Giants will conclude with a three-day minicamp starting June 17 and then break until training camp in late July.

With all of that on the horizon, the Giants.com crew members discuss the first thing they will be looking for when the team hits the field at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

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John Schmeelk: This is always tough because my easy answer is Abdul Carter, but it is important to remember that with contact prohibited and no one in pads, any play along the line of scrimmage should be taken with many grains of salt. Third-round pick Darius Alexander falls into the same category on the defensive line. You can't tackle, so Cam Skattebo and his tackle-breaking ability can't be the answer either. I'll let someone else talk about Jaxson Dart, though seeing him throw the football against the Giants first-team defense will be informative, if nothing else.

I'm going to go with the Giants' secondary. I want to see how the revamped group, with new secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator Marquand Manuel and cornerbacks coach Jeff Burris plays against a wide receiver corps with a lot of speed. We'll see how much Paulson Adebo is able to do coming off a broken leg, but seeing how Deonte Banks plays the ball and Jevón Holland roams centerfield will be fun. The passing game is where you get most of the action this part of the offseason.

Dan Salomone: And that is why my eyes will be on the passers. The quarterback situation was the story of the offseason. After plenty of twists and turns, the Giants came away with a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion in Russell Wilson, a former No. 1 overall pick who averages 270 yards per game as a starter (nearly 100 yards more than the Giants over the past two seasons) in Jameis Winston, and a first-round pick who broke Eli Manning's passing records at Ole Miss in Jaxson Dart. It's time to see them in live action, albeit without fear of getting hit by the likes of Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Speaking of which, the unit charged with protecting the former from the latter will always be a story until it's not. We'll start to see what the Giants are initially thinking, at least on paper, for offensive linemen like rookie Marcus Mbow, who will begin at tackle but could play all five spots, and Evan Neal, who could be getting a look at guard. What happens in OTAs will set up training camp, where the real competition for roles will heat up.

Matt Citak: I was going to discuss the Giants' secondary here, but since Schmeelky beat me to it, I'll focus on the group that the defensive backs will be matched up against at OTAs. The Giants have poured a lot of resources into their wide receivers and tight ends since Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll took over. Malik Nabers (first round), Wan'Dale Robinson (second round) and Jalin Hyatt (third round) were all draft picks by the current regime, while Darius Slayton has been re-signed twice by Schoen and company. The same goes for tight end with Theo Johnson (fourth), Daniel Bellinger (fourth) and Thomas Fidone II (seventh), all Schoen draft picks, in addition to Chris Manhertz, who has signed with the Giants twice in the last two offseasons. Over the last few seasons, several of these pass-catchers have shown flashes of their potential. However, other than Nabers' record-setting rookie season last year, it hasn't come on the most consistent basis. At least part of that can be attributed to the inconsistencies at quarterback, where the Giants played four different ones last season and three the year before that.

We all know the transformation the room underwent this offseason with the additions of Wilson, Winston and Dart, which Dan talked about. These moves should raise the floor of the offense as a whole and provide all of the team's pass-catchers with more opportunities. Wilson has shown good accuracy throughout his career, while Winston is known for his strong and lively arm. Then there's Dart, who completed a whopping 69.3 percent of his passes last season playing in the SEC, and Tommy DeVito, who had a 70.5 completion percentage in his limited action last season. No matter who is under center during OTAs next week, the level of quarterback play should be better than what we've seen in recent years, which will give the receivers and tight ends more chances to show what they can do. Not only that, but the matchups between the pass-catchers and the secondary should provide some very entertaining matchups during spring football. With OTAs limited to 7-on-7 team drills and no contact, these matchups typically are the most fun to watch in the spring. They should be even more intriguing this year with all of the new pieces in the QB room.

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New York Giants defensive end Abdul Carter (51) poses for a portrait during the NFLPA Rookie Premiere on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL)