NY Giants red-zone offense makes strides in front of fans

The NY Giants basked in the atmosphere of practicing in front of fans on Wednesday night at MetLife Stadium

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Evan Engram had a bullet of a pass from Daniel Jones bounce off his hands near the goal line during a seven-on-seven period and nearly 30,000 NY Giants fans at MetLIfe Stadium rained a chorus of boos down on the tight end.

Football is back.

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard was once again Daniel Jones‘ favorite target, making several catches both during 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven periods.

The Giants held their only practice in front of fans of the summer during Wednesday night’s FanFest, that turned out to be a mix of individual drills and special teams work, but some interesting developments still presented themselves.

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

Running back battle intensifying

The NY Giants signed Devontae Booker on the first day of free agency, hoping the former Las Vegas Raider would emerge as a reliable second option to Saquon Barkley and an insurance policy on the star back possibly suffering another injury.

However, to date, that hasn’t come to fruition.

On his first carry Wednesday night at MetLife Stadium during the first full-team period, Booker lost a fumble and was yanked from the drill.

Meanwhile, Corey Clement has flashed explosiveness throughout the summer, and seems to be pushing Booker for the NY Giants’ No. 2 running back job, let alone moving himself off the bubble and closer to solidifying a spot on the 53-man roster.