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Giants rookies report to training camp on Thursday, July 23, and the first thing I want to see is how the defense looks up front. The veterans do not report until July 28, so the younger players will get a few days to work before the full roster arrives. The Giants camp schedule has six open practices listed from July 30 through August 7.
The Giants will hold camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia after spending the spring installing Dennard Wilson’s defense. That gives fans a close look at a group that has to play better against the run.
The defense has some new pieces and some players who need bigger seasons. Darius Alexander’s rookie stats include 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The Giants also drafted Abdul Carter and added size at linebacker with Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese in the mix.
Giants rookies have to show the front can hold up
The first practices will not tell us who wins the division. They can show whether the front is communicating, whether the linebackers are fitting the run correctly, and whether the young rushers are playing with enough discipline to stay on the field.
That matters for a team that wants to play aggressive defense. Pressure does not help if the front gives up cutback lanes or loses contain. The Giants need the new scheme to create confusion for quarterbacks without creating confusion for its own players.
Jordan Riley and Roy Robertson-Harris are useful examples of the kind of work the front needs. The line has to stay connected, keep blockers off the linebackers, and make the quarterback feel bodies closing from inside and outside.
Training camp will expose the weak spots
The rookies will get plenty of attention because the Giants have real expectations for this class. The best way to judge them is not by one nice rep. Watch how they respond after the offense changes the formation, runs at them twice, or puts them in a coverage they did not expect.
Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers will drive the biggest offensive conversation, but the defense is the group that can change the Giants fastest. If the front seven looks organized, the secondary gets a much easier job.
This is the first real checkpoint for the new Giants. The rookies report Thursday, and the defense has enough talent to make camp interesting. The question is whether the players can turn that talent into consistent down-to-down football.
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