{"id":237336,"date":"2025-06-21T10:45:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T14:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=237336"},"modified":"2025-06-21T07:33:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T11:33:11","slug":"five-questions-heading-into-giants-training-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/06\/21\/five-questions-heading-into-giants-training-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Questions Heading Into Giants Training Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that OTAs and mandatory minicamp<\/span><\/a> are officially over and done with, the New York Giants are set to report to training camp <\/span>on July 22<\/span> for physicals and hit the field the following day. Despite a 3-14 record in 2024, <\/span>there\u2019s<\/span> a strange amount of buzz circulating around the team this season. <\/span>General Manager Joe Schoen has revamped the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>defense<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> If things go according to plan, the team could very easily have one of the <\/span>league\u2019s<\/span> top pass-rushing units. Not to mention, Brian Daboll finally has a first-round quarterback waiting for the twilight of Russell <\/span>Wilson\u2019s<\/span> career to end. <\/span>This<\/span> may not be a playoff team or even a winning team, but <\/span>there\u2019s<\/span> no doubt that <\/span>there\u2019s<\/span> hope for the <\/span>Giants’<\/span> future. Still, what are the five biggest questions for the Giants as they head into training camp?<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Who Will Win the CB2 Job: <\/span>Cor\u2019Dale<\/span> Flott or Deonte Banks?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

After Deonte <\/span>Banks’<\/span> disappointing sophomore season, the Giants signed Paulson Adebo to a 3-year, $54 million contract to be their new CB1. Naturally, people assumed that Banks would slide into the CB2 role. However, all indications during OTAs and mandatory minicamp are that Banks will be fighting for a starting position with former third-round pick <\/span>Cor\u2019Dale<\/span> Flott.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flott has been up and down in his three-year career with the Giants, but played better down the stretch in 2024. Although <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> undersized, <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> a willing tackler and can get his hands on the ball. However, considering the first-round investment and talent in Banks, the Giants are hoping he wins the job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Will Evan Neal Earn First-Team Reps at Guard?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking of salvaging first-round picks, the Giants are officially moving Evan Neal to guard in 2025. For three seasons, the former seventh-overall pick has struggled at <\/span>right<\/span> tackle. While the draft pick <\/span>was lauded<\/span> at the time, Neal has not lived up to his expectations. His lack of balance and speed has been exposed numerous times on the edge. The reality is that he is not athletic enough to keep up with NFL edge rushers on an island.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That <\/span>being said<\/span>, his size and physicality in the running game showed up on film in 2024. There is a possibility that moving him to the interior can mask his poor pass-protection technique and utilize his strength in the running game. Ideally, having two anchors next to him will help him anchor the middle as opposed to being on his own on the outside. Although this is not what the Giants had in mind when they drafted him, the goal now is for Neal to follow <\/span>Mehki <\/span>Becton\u2019s<\/span><\/a> trajectory at guard.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. How Soon Will Jaxson Dart Push Jameis Winston for QB2?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jaxson Dart is the most <\/span>important<\/span> player in the Giants building right now. Until he steps on the field, he represents hope for the future. That <\/span>being said<\/span>, all indications suggest that Brian Daboll will ease him into the NFL process. He knows his legacy <\/span>is tied<\/span> to him and that he should not see the field until he is 100% ready.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As it stands, Dart is the third quarterback on the depth chart behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. While he <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> steal any second-team reps from Winston during OTAs, Daboll did throw him in for a few reps against the <\/span>1\u2019s<\/span>. <\/span>This<\/span> is pretty commonplace for first-round quarterbacks who are not immediate starters, but <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> certainly something to monitor as training camp unfolds. Not to mention, Winston could be a fairly valuable trade piece for quarterback-needy teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. <\/span>Who\u2019s<\/span> Calling Plays\u2014Brian Daboll or Mike Kafka?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

So far in spring practices, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> been offensive coordinator Mike Kafka with the walkie-talkie calling plays. Neither coach confirmed or denied what the plan will be in 2025. However, the coach with the walkie-talkie, who has called plays in the past Giants OTAs and training camp, has been the regular-season play-caller.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Will this Team be Prepared for Week 1?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

It seems like a silly question, but Brian Daboll has done a poor job preparing the Giants for regular-season openers in two out of his three seasons. <\/span>In 2023, the team <\/span>lost<\/span> 40-0 at home against Dallas <\/span>in<\/span> a season <\/span>where<\/span> they had playoff aspirations.<\/span> The 2024 regular season opener <\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span> much better. The Giants lost 28-6 to the Vikings while they honored a slew of legends for the <\/span>franchise\u2019s<\/span> 100th anniversary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Daboll\u2019s<\/span> lone week one win <\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span> too impressive either. The 20-19 win against the Titans was exciting and certainly set the tone for 2022, but the team <\/span>couldn\u2019t<\/span> move the ball in any capacity until the second half. If not for a missed chip-shot field goal, Daboll would be 0-3 in regular season openers. All in all, the Giants have been outscored 87-26 in week one during <\/span>Daboll\u2019s<\/span> tenure.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, <\/span>he<\/span> needs to prepare his team for <\/span>Jayden Daniels and the Commanders<\/span><\/a>, coming off an NFC Championship appearance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Answers will Naturally Unfold.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Training camp will answer a majority of these questions for the Giants. However, 2025 is all about finding an identity again. The roster, while improved, is far from ready to compete for a Super Bowl. If it were ready, there probably <\/span>wouldn\u2019t<\/span> be two former first-round picks fighting for starting spots on this list. The Giants need answers to these questions during training camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: John Jones – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that OTAs and mandatory minicamp are officially over and done with, the New York Giants are set to report to training camp on July 22 for physicals and hit the field the following day. Despite a 3-14 record in 2024, there\u2019s a strange amount of buzz circulating around the team this season. General Manager […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5408,"featured_media":237385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,6431],"tags":[3472,8555,33129,9424,7300],"class_list":["post-237336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giants","category-nfl-teams","tag-brian-daboll","tag-evan-neal","tag-jaxson-dart","tag-mike-kafka","tag-new-york-giants-news"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237336"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237386,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237336\/revisions\/237386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

John Mara <\/span><\/a>stated in his end-of-season press conference that he prefers a head coach who does not also call plays. Mara mentioned that he <\/span>won’t<\/span> give a mandate that Brian Daboll needs to relinquish playcalling. But in <\/span>Daboll\u2019s<\/span> perspective, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> probably a wise decision to do so with his job on the line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n