The New York Giants kick off the 2018 regular season against Tom Coughlin’s new team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there are plenty of intriguing storylines worth watching in training camp and the preseason.
Of course, all New York Giants fans will be excited to see Saquon Barkley take the field for the first time in August. But one player, in particular, has the most to prove this preseason.
All eyes will be on Giants second-year quarterback Davis Webb come August.
New York’s 2017 third-round pick out California saw no regular season action last year despite the benching of Eli Manning. Giants former head coach Ben McAdoo opted to start Geno Smith over Webb, leaving many Big Blue fans scratching their heads.
New York Giants
The 6-foot-5, 229-pound quarterback was expected to be a project due to the offenses he played in at Texas Tech and Cal. But many still viewed Webb as Manning’s potential successor given his 87th overall selection.
He has the arm strength and size to be a potential starting quarterback in the NFL, but questions about his accuracy and decision making have left some doubt. When first-year general manager Dave Gettleman elected not to take a quarterback at No. 2 overall, it was clearly a vote of confidence in Manning.
It was also a statement about the other quarterbacks in this year’s class. As well as Gettleman’s belief in Barkley.
But while Manning’s starting role felt secured after day one of the draft, Webb’s position as Manning’s eventual successor quickly came into question on day three. The selection of Kyle Lauletta in the fourth round immediately gave Giants fans a quarterback competition worth watching.
Neither player is expected to see the field this season, as long as the Giants are competing for a division title. However, Webb still has plenty to prove this preseason.
Webb Intent On Progressing
He needs to show New York’s front office and coaching staff that they already have their future franchise quarterback on the roster.
Webb didn’t shine in his first action last preseason. He completed 18-of-34 passes for 190 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Giants will want to see more out of the 23-year-old come August. He is the frontrunner to be Manning’s backup in 2018. He’s expected to win the job with a full year of experience under his belt.
Giants newly appointed offensive coordinator Mike Shula has been impressed with Webb’s improvement this offseason, via New York’s team website.
"“He has taken big strides and I think he’s flashed for sure during some practices. I really like his arm strength, he can be really accurate. Again, he will probably be the first to tell you that he can work on his consistency. If everything is not right, finding the outlet and fixing it sometimes. It might not be a great call against that defense, knowing how to fix it, maybe a receiver falls down or whatever or there is a protection and knowing where to go when those things happen. But all those guys are and he is another good example of guys that are really eager to learn the offense as well as they can and he comes to work with the mindset that he wants to prove to himself and everybody in this building that he can play.”"
Big Blue’s potential future franchise quarterback is putting in the work this offseason. He knows he has plenty of room for growth. He is focused on getting better every day. Webb said he has no intention of taking a break in between the team’s minicamp and training camp, via the New York Post.
"“This isn’t time off, this is time away. I don’t want to be away. I’m 23 years old, hopefully retirement’s a long way from now. Whenever I’m done coaching or playing, then I’ll take my vacation time.’’"
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Giants fans are surely happy to hear about Webb’s development in practice. At the same time, the best way to evaluate his progress will be during the team’s preseason games.