NY Giants OTA observations: Kenny Golladay arrives, Kadarius Toney absent, more

The NY Giants continued OTAs Friday, as Kenny Golladay got his first chance to work with quarterback Daniel Jones

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.–  The NY Giants continued voluntary OTA practices Friday in East Rutherford, with one marquee addition, wide receiver Kenny Golladay took part in the voluntary workouts for the first time this spring, as FanSided first reported Thursday that he would.

Prior to practice, NY Giants head coach Joe Judge stressed how valuable these practice reps in spring and early summer are for quarterback Daniel Jones as he approaches his third season and first with Golladay, and fellow additions John Ross and rookie Kadarius Toney in his supporting cast.

"“For all of our quarterbacks, they have to get a feel for the specific guy they are throwing to and the routes and that route may look different with certain guys,” Judge said prior to practice. “What they do at the top of route, how their release may change and where they put the ball as a quarterback and where they can expect the ball.”"

Golladay was only targeted a couple of times by Jones, but dropped one pass during a full-team period and another during individual drills. The veteran receiver likely has some rust to knock off, his season ended early in 2020 due to a hip flexor.

Just as notable as Golladay’s arrival Friday was Toney’s continued absence.

These practices are voluntary, but are especially beneficial for rookies and young players to get up to speed with both the system, as well as the speed of practice. Not to mention these reps are valuable to build chemistry with Jones and his receivers. Ross also was not at practice.

Here’s a look at key takeaways from Friday’s NY Giants OTA practice:

Offensive line taking shape

One of the key position battles this spring and into summer was expected to be along the offensive line and both guard positions.

As a rookie, Shane Lemieux ultimately supplanted Will Hernandez from the left guard spot last season, and that might continue to be the case this season.

During Friday’s practice the offensive line was Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Nick Gates, Will Hernandez, and Matt Peart.

It is entirely possible that the NY Giants will rotate their guards. Likewise, Zach Fulton is expected to compete for a starting job, and it might even be more likely that he challenges Hernandez than Lemieux, given that Lemieux lined up in the same spot he finished last season in.

Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard among Jones’ favorite targets

Despite Golladay’s arrival, it was two of Jones’ favorite targets from the past two seasons who saw the bulk of targets on Friday; tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Sterling Shepard

Shepard caught several swing-passes in the flat, and Engram seemed to operate down the seam over the middle of the field.

With Toney and Ross absent, Jones’ options were limited during Friday’s practice.

Still, as Jones enters his second season in coordinator Jason Garrett’s system, getting extra reps with two of his more important weapons could prove valuable.

Last season, Engram caught 63 passes for 534 yards and a touchdown, en route to his first Pro Bowl, but also was charged with eight drops. The NY Giants are expecting a bounce-back performance from their starting tight end in 2021.

Lorenzo Carter’s triumphant return

Not only was Lorenzo Carter back on the field going through all of the team-drills, the fourth-year outside linebacker was back with the starting defense. Just seven months after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon back in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The NY Giants are clearly optimistic that Carter will not only make a full-recovery, but pick up where he left off from a fast start last season — when he recorded one sack through five weeks, that the organization did not sign a free agent pass-rusher.

Carter moved around well, looked from the distance like he might have batted down a pass, but most importantly for Carter and the NY Giants is that he didn’t seem to show any ill-effects from last year’s significant injury.

Where’s the secondary?

These practices are voluntary, but one of the bigger takeaways from Friday was who was on the field, and who wasn’t.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was back, but the vast majority of the secondary was not. It seems as though there is solidarity among that position group not to participate as none of the two-deep players, including rookie Aaron Robinson or Sam Beal were in attendance.

Next up for the NY Giants is a voluntary three-day minicamp next week.

Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com, Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL