5 surprises from first two weeks of NY Giants training camp

On Saturday night, the NY Giants wrapped up open practices at training camp and fans have loved what they've seen out of the squad. It's time to pack their bags soon and head for Detroit for the preseason opener next Friday night.

When looking back at how things have gone over the past two weeks, it's easy to get excited. However, there are also several things for the G-Men to work on before Week 1 of the regular season gets here. With that said, here are our five biggest surprises from camp:

5. Cornerback Tre Hawkins stepped up for this defense

Had you told us that one of the best defensive backs from the summer would be sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins, then we might have been concerned a few weeks back. Instead, countless people are feeling great about Hawkins' potential. Yes, he may have been a sixth-rounder, but Hawkins was fantastic from start to finish during camp.

Now, it's time to see what the former Old Dominion standout will be able to get done in the preseason. It's one thing to make plays in East Rutherford, but it's going to be a completely different challenge for Hawkins and the rest of this defense once they go up against opposing offenses. However, there's plenty of belief in the first-year DB.

Wink Martindale made it clear this week that he's a big fan of Hawkins' game, but that he also still has a lot of work to do before Week 1 gets here. Hawkins went from a late-round pick, to a guy who could see significant action early on this campaign. This could prove to be a gem of a draft pick for general manager Joe Schoen.

4. The Giants offensive line still has some moving parts

As for a bit of a negative, there are still some moving pieces for the Giants offensive line and some battles aren't fully won yet. For the majority of camp, it felt like the starting offensive line from left to right would be Andrew Thomas, Ben Bredeson, John Michael Schmitz, Mark Glowinski and Evan Neal for 2023.

Outside of left tackle, it really feels like things could still be changed for Week 1. At left guard, Bredeson is the favorite, but backup Joshua Ezeudu saw plenty of action running with the 1s. At center, Bredeson also got in work there, but JMS appears to be the go-to-guy despite being a rookie second-round pick.

At right guard, Glowinski is No. 1 to win the job, but Bredeson also got some action there. At RT, Neal, a former No. 7 overall pick, figures to be the starter for sure, but he's dealing with a concussion suffered at practice earlier this week. In a perfect world, Neal will be healthy for the season opener, but this will be something to monitor over the next few weeks.

3. Jason Pinnock has emerged as the favorite to start alongside Xavier McKinney

In other news for the secondary, you had to figure that either veteran Bobby McCain or rising safety Dane Belton would win the job next to Xavier McKinney. However, it's been a different youngster who has stood out above the rest: Jason Pinnock. Pinnock is no stranger to seeing plenty of run with the G-Men, as he appeared in 14 games last year.

Pinnock also made five starts. He has made the most of his time running with the starters at training camp, highlighted by one of the best interceptions you'll ever see. We're of course talking about the one-handed interception he recorded when Daniel Jones was trying to find Darren Waller in the end zone. This is easily the best play from camp:

What made this play even better was the fact that Pinnock's dad texted him right after the INT and told him to make sure to focus on the next practice. That's wholesome advice and Pinnock took it to heart. The DB knows there's still a lot of work to be done to earn a starting role, but he's most certainly on the right track.

2. The G-Men are yet to add pass-rush help

From a depth standpoint, there is some serious need for outside linebacker help moving forward. There was hope that general manager Joe Schoen would add a veteran to help out Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, but that's yet to happen. Jihad Ward is back on a one-year contract, but is that enough? Not a chance.

In addition to help for the pass-rush, people were hoping that another inside linebacker would be brought in after Jarrad Davis went down with his season-ending knee injury. A player like Myles Jack would be a dream come true at this point in the offseason for the fanbase. Similar to outside LB, no help has arrived there.

As teams look to trim their roster to 53 in the coming weeks, some experienced outside/inside LBs should become available for the Giants and Schoen to take a look at. There may be a surprise or two from Schoen on the way before the Dallas Cowboys make their way to town on Sept. 10. Extra help for the defense is most definitely needed.

1. Saquon Barkley and the NY Giants were able to save their relationship

This was announced the day before the first practice of training camp and it was a total stunner. The expectation was that star running back Saquon Barkley would not only be a camp holdout, but that he would also potentially sit out the first game of the season in order to send a massive message to Schoen and the rest of the front office.

However, Barkley agreed to an adjusted franchise tag with the Giants, worth up to $11 million. Saquon will get the $10.1 million guaranteed from the tag, but with a little more than $900,000 available to him via incentives. Despite all of the drama throughout the offseason, Barkley is in town and he has a career-best year on his mind.

That was easily the best and biggest surprise of the summer. Plain and simple, there would have been no way the Giants would have made the postseason last year without No. 26 on the field. Looking ahead to this season, plenty of eyes will be on Barkley to see if he can continue to be one of the best RBs in the league. Him being motivated to silence his haters is only good news for Schoen, Brian Daboll and Danny Dimes.

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