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Cover 3: Major storylines heading into the summer

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With OTAs and minicamp in the rearview mirror, the Giants.com crew discusses the major storylines coming out of spring practices and heading into training camp:

John Schmeelk: Nothing is set in stone, but we have an idea of what the Giants want the offense line to look like from left to right: Andrew Thomas, Jermaine Eluemunor, John Michael Schmitz, Jon Runyan, and Evan Neal.

We didn't see this group together much outside of position drills due to Neal's injury recovery, but that should be how the Giants start off training camp when they finally have padded practices. I am interested to see the impact that new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo can have on the group, including Neal once he is able to get on the field in pads.

Meanwhile, both Runyan and Eluemunor have position flexibility, so the group can alter its look. Bricillo knows Eluemunor well from their time together in New England and Las Vegas, and his ability to play all four spots on the line could very well be the motor oil that makes the engine run.

Eluemunor and Runyan have been eager to work with the younger players on the line and share their knowledge. Both have spoken highly of Schmitz, and their veteran presence around him should help steady his development curve. Runyan's steadiness should also help Neal at right tackle.

This, of course, is all theoretical. The offensive line will have to prove it on the field and will be a key to the season. They will have an early test at joint practices with the Lions before their preseason opener. Let's see what they can do.

View the best photos as the Giants take the field for minicamp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

Dan Salomone: We made some headlines on Giants.com when Daniel Jones participated in 7-on-7 drills out of the gate at OTA No. 1, so let's start there. While the plan never included full team periods this spring, the quarterback picture came into focus that day. Jones, who has been rehabbing a torn ACL, is on track for the start of training camp and thus Week 1.

"The knee feels good, really good," Jones said last week before the Giants wrapped up spring practices. "I think every week I've continued to feel better and better and taking steps. Doing a lot of the same things I've been doing, but doing them better and feeling sharper, cleaner with a lot of my cuts. Kind of working on getting that explosiveness back and then taking steps in improving my change of direction and cutting from even where it was before the injury."

Jones added, "I expect to be ready to go the first day of training camp."

When that happens, there will be fewer than 50 days until the start of the season – the 100th in franchise history – on Sept. 8 against the Vikings. In that time, Jones will try to get up to speed with, among others, Malik Nabers. The sixth overall draft pick looked the part in his first spring, bringing his work ethic and competitiveness to East Rutherford from Baton Rouge, where he was LSU's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. The spotlight on these two will only get hotter in the buildup to Week 1.

View all of the top photos from the Quest Diagnostics Training Center as OTAs come to a close.

Matt Citak: Since John and Dan discussed the offense, I'll take the other side of the football. The Giants are entering Year 1 in defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's system. During his three seasons holding the same position for the Tennessee Titans, Bowen's defense ranked 30th in the league in blitz percentage. Over that same three-year stretch, the Giants had the NFL's highest blitz percentage. Obviously, this is a drastic difference in philosophy and one that will require the team's defensive front to succeed in getting after the quarterback without the help of additional blitzers. From what we saw during spring practices (albeit with no contact allowed), the unit looks up for the challenge.

It became clear at the start of free agency that the Giants wanted to make a significant addition to the pass rush. GM Joe Schoen's big splash came in the form of a trade for outside linebacker Brian Burns. Throughout OTAs and minicamp, Burns was consistently getting into the backfield during team drills. The 26-year-old was constantly getting pressure on the quarterback and seemed to pick up at least one sack each day he was participating in 11-on-11s. Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux should combine to form a formidable duo, as the former is just two seasons removed from a career-high 12.5-sack campaign while the latter broke out for 11.5 sacks last year. Then when you add back-to-back Pro Bowl lineman Dexter Lawrence to the mix, it's easy to see the high potential. The three players, all of whom are below the age of 27, combined for 148 quarterback pressures in 2023.

As we have seen with successful Giants teams of the past, a strong pass rush helps alleviate the pressure on the defense as a whole. If the front four, led by Burns, Thibodeaux and Lawrence, can succeed in pressuring the quarterback without needing help from additional blitzers, then the path towards the defense becoming a strength of the 2024 Giants becomes pretty clear.

"The guys that have success in this league usually are the ones that work the hardest, that want to take every single ounce of coaching that you give them, right, and they go and they apply it," Bowen told the media last week about the team's defensive leaders. "And there is a reason they get to the level they're at because of that. And having those as your leaders, guys that aren't afraid to be vocal also where it's not just show by example. That's a tremendous asset to me and a tremendous asset to our coaching staff, and ultimately to the younger guys we're trying to get ready to go."

The New York Giants unveiled a "Century Red" uniform to commemorate their 100th season.

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Giants 100: A Night with Legends

Join us on June 20 for Giants 100: A Night with Legends presented by Verizon at The Theater at MSG, featuring panel discussions with over 20 legends, artifacts from the Hall of Fame and 100th season merchandise.

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