3 biggest takeaways from NY Giants OTAs

The NY Giants wrapped up a solid week of OTAs and there were plenty of reasons for fans to be hyped up about the 2022 campaign. On both sides of the ball, guys on the roster stepped up big time and provided head coach Brian Daboll with several reasons to smile. Daniel Jones looked sharp, while some of the youngsters played outstanding too.

While it may still be the offseason, you Giants fans can go ahead and celebrate some of these positives being displayed on the gridiron. With that said, there’s three things in particular that have stood out to us.

3. Daniel Jones is playing with confidence

You’ve probably seen us write about Jones and his new-found confidence already during OTAs. We bring it up again because it has no question been refreshing to see. Jones had every reason to be down in the dumps entering OTAs, as the front office decided to decline his fifth-year option. With this, his future is up in the air.

Instead of moping around and acting deflated, the former No. 6 overall pick has held his head up high and he’s throwing the ball all over the field. Daboll told Jones to let the ball fly and not be scared to make mistakes during practices this month. With Jones learning a new offense, some might have thought he’d be a little timid.

Instead, he is tossing the ball around like he’s in the backyard and he’s threading the needle. Sure, there have been some turnovers in the process, but Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka would much rather see that go down now instead of during the regular season. Jones knows this is a make-or-break campaign for him.

While he may not be considered one of the top signal-callers in the league, Jones looks poised to take a big step in his fourth year with the G-Men. The swagger he’s displaying is great to see and it should stay high leading up to the Week 1 dance with the Titans.

2. Saquon Barkley is looking like his old self

Will the real Saquon Barkley please stand up? That’s what NY Giants fans are hoping to see come this fall, as Barkley had a 2021 season to forget. Coming off his torn ACL in 2020, Barkley sure looked like he lost a step last campaign and it was rough to see. The poor offensive line didn’t help, but Barkley just wasn’t looking strong.

At OTAs, Barkley is moving much more fluidly and it’s been tremendous to see. On top of that, the additions for the line will also make a strong impact for No. 26 from start to finish in 2022. Jon Feliciano, Mark Glowinski and Evan Neal stand out as the guys who will be read to improve things both in pass blocking and run blocking.

This is welcome news for Barkley, as he’s ready to run through some big holes. Last year, things closed in on him way too fast and he wasn’t elusive enough to get away from tacklers. Looking forward to this year, the line, of course including stud Andrew Thomas, will make life so much more easier for Barkley.

After his Pro Bowl rookie season, Barkley hasn’t come close to reaching the same level of production. That year, Barkley rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 721 receiving yards and four more scores. A fully healthy Barkley will make plenty of noise in ’22. Giants fans can count on that.

1. Wan’Dale Robinson is turning heads

Remember when a bunch of people blasted general manager Joe Schoen for taking Wan’Dale Robinson in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft? Apparently, Schoen ‘reached’ for Robinson and he was taken way too early. Robinson is clearly using that as motivation and he’s done one heck of a job for the offense already.

During drills at OTAs, Robinson shut up every single one of his haters with a diving grab. As you’ll be able to see in the video above, Robinson had cornerback Aaron Robinson draped all over him, but he was still somehow able to come down with an incredible catch. Jones fired a bomb downfield and Wan’Dale made a play for him.

Wan’Dale has fantastic speed and he could provide plenty of headaches for opposing defenses in his rookie campaign. The great thing here too is that Jones and Wan’Dale are developing some early chemistry, which obviously is going to be beneficial for the signal-caller as well. Wan’Dale will be a guy to watch the rest of the way. He’ll make a monster impact this fall and winter.