5 biggest NY Giants questions with training camp kicking off

It's the best time of year: training camp is here, which means a new NFL season is right around the corner. As most of you know, there are always unanswered questions and storylines to watch out for. For the NY Giants, there are several things that head coach Brian Daboll and his staff will have their eyes on ahead of the Week 1 tilt with the Vikings.

The Giants have a new-look offensive line, a positional battle at cornerback, a rookie wide receiver with great potential, and a quarterback rehabbing from ACL surgery. This is one of the most critical times of the year because it's the first opportunity for fans to see what they can expect from the roster that Joe Schoen and the front office built this offseason, but a lot still needs to be determined. That said, let's look at the five biggest questions with training camp officially kicking off:

5. Will the Giants bring in a veteran cornerback to push Cor'Dale Flott?

One of the biggest positional battles for the Giants during training camp will be at cornerback. There are still several questions about what Big Blue's secondary will look like and whether there are more moves to come. The Giants will have second-year talent Deonte Banks start, but who will be the CB2 or fill the nickel CB role? The Giants defense will look a lot different under new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, so we'll see what works best under his new scheme.

The Giants have been linked to several veterans who remain free agents and whether they will bring in a player like Stephon Gilmore or Xavien Howard to push Flott or stick with the third-year defensive back is up in the air. Flott is expected to be the CB2 once the season starts, but if a veteran is brought in soon, then that could change everything for the NY D.

4. Will Evan Neal save his Giants career or will it be time to move on?

One of the big storylines to follow throughout training camp will be right tackle Evan Neal. The 2022 No. 7 overall pick had an ugly rookie year, where his pass protection was exposed and that was the beginning of his struggles at the professional level.

Last year, Neal played even worse as one of the team's worst pass blockers. In 309 pass-blocking reps, he gave up two sacks, five hits, 22 scrambles in the pocket, and 29 total pressures and was penalized five times. He also faced backlash for comments about fans booing him during the Giants' Week 4 loss to Seattle, where Daniel Jones was sacked 11 times.

Earlier in the week, news dropped that Neal is going to start camp on the PUP list. His ankle is still not at 100 percent and he's not ready to be a full-go just yet. However, will we see him on the field soon, or is this going to be a problem that lingers into the regular season. This is a worry that the Giants surely wanted to avoid, but here we are.

3. Is Malik Nabers going to be a prayer answered for this offense?

The Giants are counting on No. 6 overall pick Malik Nabers to be a difference-maker on offense and immediately perform at a high level. The Giants have not had a true WR1 since Odell Beckham Jr. left the team in 2018, which was the last time a Big Blue wideout had over 1,000 receiving yards. The Giants hope that Nabers can have a similar performance to OBJ during his tenure in New York.

If Nabers is a success story with the Giants, maybe the team has luck whenever they take an LSU wide receiver in the first round. Speaking of LSU wide receivers, Nabers was recently compared to Cincinnati Bengals star wideout Ja'Marr Chase. Giants receiver Darius Slayton, who has held down the fort as the team's WR1 the last few seasons, recently called Nabers a 'clone' of Chase.

Chase, of course, has been a Pro Bowler in his three NFL seasons. If Nabers is anything like OBJ or Chase, the G-Men got a steal in the draft, but first, we'll need to see how the Giants' new-look offensive line is in pass protection and how Danny Dimes performs. For now, we know that Nabers should turn some heads at open practices throughout camp and get fans excited about the season.

2. Can the new-look NY Giants offensive line deliver for Brian Daboll?

Something Daboll will be paying close attention to throughout training camp is the Giants' new-look offensive line. The next few weeks should give the Giants an idea of how the offense will perform, especially up front in pass and run protection.

In an episode of Hard Knocks, we got a behind-the-scenes look at how the G-Men navigated free agency and allocated their money by letting star running back Saquon Barkley come off the books. The Giants signed three offensive linemen when the free agency window opened and may not be done yet.

The Giants upgraded tremendously at the guard positions with the additions of Jon Runyan Jr., Jermaine Eluemunor, and Aaron Stinnie. For now, Runyan is expected to be the starting right guard, while Eluemunor will man the LG duties. However, with Neal on the PUP list, Eluemunor could slide over to RT. So, who would take over at guard for him? Should the Giants sign Greg Van Roten, he could be the new right guard and allow Runyan to play left guard. Keep an eye on that potential signing.

1. Will Daniel Jones be able to calm nerves before Week 1?

Danny Dimes has been fully cleared for camp and there are no excuses for him. Jones missed 11 games last season due to multiple injuries, including a season-ending ACL tear against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9. The injury came just a season after Jones helped lead Big Blue back to the playoffs, and the veteran earned a contract extension from Schoen and the Giants front office.

Now, Jones enters his sixth season in the league and is looking to bounce back from his disappointing 2023 campaign. The former first-round pick has been rehabbing all offseason and working towards a healthy 2024 with the Giants in what will be a make-or-break fall for him. With an upgraded offensive line and added weapons in the passing game, Jones hopes to have a similar impact as two seasons ago and replicate his 2022 performance.

Jones participated in 7-on-7 drills during OTAs but was held out of 11-on-11 drills as he was still rehabbing his ACL. The question is, how fast will Daboll ramp up Jones' workload throughout training camp, or will they ease the sixth-year quarterback back and be cautious he does not reinjure himself? With him being cleared, though, look for Jones to be ready to rock and prove some of his haters wrong.