NY Giants’ burning questions ahead of training camp

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.

2) What will Kadarius Toney’s role be as a rookie?

Suddenly, the NY Giants’ receiving corps is a talented crowd of starting caliber players, and arguably one of the 10 most gifted in the NFL.

That could make it a bit tricky for first-round pick Kadarius Toney to get on the field as a rookie.

Now, when the NY Giants are in four and five-wide receiver sets, Toney obviously will be on the field with some combination of Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, and Sterling Shepard.

But, where does Toney fit best? At what point does Toney’s speed, athleticism, and versatility push him pas Shepard or Slayton in the receiver hierarchy?

One area to watch for Toney in his first NFL season, is in the return game, after the former Florida Gator spent much of this week’s mandatory minicamp as one of the first punt returners up during special teams drills.

3) Who starts at the two offensive guard spots?

The NY Giants are confident that the pieces are in place for the offensive line to make significant strides, and the coaching staff is optimistic about Andrew Thomas’, Matt Peart’s, and Shane Lemieux’s ceilings.

But, the question will eventually come to the fore this summer of whether Lemieux has improved enough to remain a starter, let alone alongside Thomas.

How Nate Solder fits into the conversation is also fascinating. On the surface, Solder makes the most sense as the NY Giants’ swing-tackle, as he provides veteran depth should Peart or Thomas suffer an injury.

But, if Lemieux stumbles, after producing a meager 32.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season, might Solder kick inside to guard? Clearly, last season, the coaching staff preferred Lemieux to Will Hernandez, so is it entirely out of the question that Solder could also play alongside Thomas?

The offensive line was largely static during minicamp, but that could change and the possibilities during training camp and beyond offer much intrigue.

4) What will Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph’s target share be?

Every year, it seems, Engram is mentioned as a candidate for a breakout season, but be it injuries or lackluster inconsistent production, that has failed to materialize.

last season, while Engram made his first Pro Bowl, he also was charged with eight drops, and surpassed 100 receiving yards just once all season and only caught one touchdown.

Enter, Rudolph.

Rudolph spent this spring rehabbing a knee injury, so presumably training camp will be the first time he’s on the field with Jones, Golladay, Engram, etc.

"“Kyle is making progress every day, and tis guy works really, really hard,” NY Giants coach Joe Judge said this week. “You can tell he’s a vet, he has a lot of experience, he knows his body well, and he’s in there and he’s opening up the door with the coaches every morning bright and early.”"

That kind of work ethic and commitment will win Rudolph favor with both the coaches and his teammates.

However, it is his consistency that is going to earn him targets from Jones, and could cut into Engram’s usage.

Rudolph has caught 40 of his 48 touchdowns, from inside the red zone — an area the NY Giants struggled mightily in last season. Training camp will be a good time to map out how the NY Giants aim to use both tight ends, and a glimpse of the kind of weapon Rudolph has the potential to be inside the 20 yard-line.

5) Solve the secondary Rubik’s Cube

Nowhere have the NY Giants improved more over the past two seasons than in the secondary.

As things appear to currently stand, James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson have two starting jobs secured, but the slot cornerback and safety position battles will be fascinating to watch unfold under the North Jersey sun this summer.

Xavier McKinney, Logan Ryan, Darnay Holmes, Aaron Robinson, Logan Ryan, and Jabrill Peppers are all starting caliber players. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham might have a difficult time winnowing down who starts and where, but that’s certainly a good problem to have, given the lack of depth on the back-end of the defense in prior seasons.

6) How to walk tightrope of harnessing Daniel Jones’ aggressiveness, and keeping him healthy?

The fact that the NY Giants’ offense seemed to function best, and was a product of Jones’ mobility creates all kinds of upside with a healthy Barkley alongside him in the backfield, along with plenty of risk.

Jones suffering a hamstring injury and sprained ankle, forcing Colt McCoy into action last season, was suboptimal for the NY Giants down the stretch of a playoff race — even though McCoy guided New York to an upset road win over Seattle.

Finding a balance between Jones using his athleticism to create opportunities running the football on designed runs and zone-reads and refining his ability to make plays downfield from the pocket in an effort to stay healthy will be critical to the NY Giants’ success on offense this season.

7) What does the defensive line look like?

Last season, the NY Giants’ defensive line was one of the backbones of the roster.

Bringing back Leonard Williams and signing Danny Shelton should soften the blow of losing a homegrown talent like Dalvin Tomlinson to free agency, but the options are aplenty when it comes to who starts between Lawrence and Williams along the line.

Whether it’s Shelton or Austin Johnson at defensive tackle will be an interesting position battle to keep an eye on. So too, will be what. B.J. Hill’s role will be as he enters his fourth season.

Improved play in the secondary should, in theory, help the NY Giants’ defensive line be more disruptive, especially against the pass. Who is generating that front-line pressure though, is at least partially to be determined.

8) Who starts alongside Blake Martinez?

The NY Giants have some options alongside Blake Martinez in the middle of the defense, but it doesn’t appear that we have seen the starting front-seven in action yet this spring.

Neither veteran addition Reggie Ragland, or second-year linebacker Cam Brown took part in OTAs or mandatory minicamp, and both could figure into the starting inside linebacker conversation this summer.

Likewise, Carter Coughlin and Tae Crowder could be competing both for snaps, as well as a roster spot.

9) Can Lorenzo Carter or Oshane Ximines reach double-digit sacks?

While the NY Giants drafted Azeez Ojulari in the second-round of the NFL Draft this spring, the organization did not invest significant free agent resources, or a first-round pick, in an edge rusher, despite an obvious need.

Both Carter and Ximines suffered season-ending injuries last season, and both were back on the field this spring.

However, neither player has produced more than 4.5 sacks in a single season.

Ojulari certainly figures into the pass-rush rotation, as does free agent addition Ifeadi Odenigbo, but whether either Carter or Ximines can develop into a consistently dominant pass-rush presence that keeps them on the field for the majority of the defensive snaps and anchors the front-seven remains to be seen.

Championship caliber defenses are built around a dominant pass rush, typically with several players capable of pushing for double-digit sacks. The NY Giants have yet to show they have that kind of talent in place.

10) Is Jason Garrett the coordinator to maximize newfound explosive weapons?

Perhaps with the exception of Jones, no one in the NY Giants’ organization faces more pressure in 2021 than offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Golladay is one year removed from finishing as the NFL’s leading receiver. Barkley is expected to be back, and if he can remain healthy, is one of the premier running backs in the league. Rudolph is as reliable a pass-catcher as there is across the league, in the red-zone. Toney is versatile with the potential to be explosive.

All of the increased talent doesn’t just start the clock on Jones needing to prove he’s capable of developing into one of the game’s elite quarterbacks, but puts the pressure on Garrett to prove he can maximize the Giants’ sudden embarrassment of riches at the offensive skill positions.

Training camp likely won’t show if Garrett’s system will be able to elevate the offense, but it certainly will lay the groundwork for what will need to be a fast start to the regular season. If the NY Giants falter, it might not be long before Garrett finds himself in real jeopardy, especially with an accomplished assistant such as Freddie Kitchens already on staff …

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