Next up for the NY Giants is a pivotal training camp as the regular season approaches, with plenty of high-priced and explosive new faces on both sides of the ball
The NY Giants’ mandatory minicamp is over, and after two more OTA practices next week, the coaches and players will scatter across the country until reconvening for training camp this summer.
Head coach Joe Judge seemed pleased with the progress his team has made so far this spring, with an eye towards further improvement when training camp begins in late-July.
Part of Judge’s challenge is going to be managing expectations of a young team, that was bolstered by significant spending in free agency, adding playmakers to both sides of the football, when the team reconvenes.
"“Look, I talk to the team all the time about expectations,” Judge admitted Thursday. “But, right now at this time of year, the expectation for them is to come in, get in shape, do their job the best they can and work as hard as they can, to pay attention and make decisions that put the team first, that’s it. To simplify it. There’s a lot of expectations externally. We can’t do anything about that until we take care of the little things inside, so the expectations are there to improve at our job every day and put the team first.”"
Much work remains for Judge and the Giants during training camp and ahead of the 2021 regular season, if New York is going to return to the post season for the first time in four years and second in nine.
Here’s a look at 10 burning questions the NY Giants must answer during training camp next month:
1) When will Saquon Barkley get back on the field?
When asked this week whether he will be ready for the regular season opener against the Denver Broncos, Barkley sidestepped setting a timeline to return from his torn ACL.
Patience is probably the right move both for Barkley and the NY Giants, to avoid a setback and ensure that the former No. 2 overall pick has the best chance to return to form as a game-altering talent.
However, it is one thing for Barkley not to be on the field and instead rehabbing during minicamp in June, but by the time training camp begins in late July and ends in September, there needs to be a timeline for when he will be able to get back on the field and return to his explosive self.