Six Things We Learned from NY Giants’ Spring Practices 

For the first time in a long time, the Giants quarterback room is serious. And while there is no guarantee that the Giants' quarterback room will be stellar or even above average as of this writing, one thing we do know is that it will be an improved unit in 2025.

With the signings of Russell Wilson and James Winston, the first-round draft selection of Jaxson Dart, and the return of Tommy DeVito, the quarterback room is in the best shape in years.

Wilson’s willingness and ability to find the deep ball consistently is something this team hasn’t had since Daboll was hired as head coach. But that’s not all there is to love about Wilson.

His teammates have raved endlessly about the veteran’s approach to the game, his knowledge, and his attention to detail.  The receivers, in particular, have been giddy over the type of throws Wilson has been able to make, with Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson both having broken out into big smiles when discussing the topic.

Winston, the backup, has brought joy to the team with his unique blend of lightheartedness and seriousness. He’s embraced the role of mentoring Dart, the rookie, and although Winston had his fair share of ups and downs this spring, he’s never wavered on the character and presence he brings to the organization.

Dart, the heir apparent, has had some impressive days and some less impressive days, but the confidence with which it operates has remained unchanged.

After the minicamp wrapped up, Dart mentioned that his aggressiveness wasn’t going away, as it’s just the kind of quarterback he is, which is evident in his college film.

Throughout the spring, we also heard Daboll talk about appreciating Dart’s aggressive tendencies as a passer. Daboll has always favored aggressive quarterbacks; one of his most significant claims to success is Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, known for his aggressiveness. So it’s not hard to see why Daboll likes Dart for this offense.

DeVito is the senior member of the room in terms of overall knowledge of the offense. He will also likely be the odd man out at the end of the summer, but rather than kick up a fuss or make any demands, he’s going about his business, and he’s also trying to help his teammates get better. 

“I mean, control what I can control,” DeVito said. “Obviously, we can with our play, but the coaches make decisions – when your number's called, you go out and make the most of it.” 

The Giants will need to make some decisions about the room this summer, none of which will be easy.

The defense's bread-and-butter

In recent years, the Giants have made significant investments in improving their defensive line.

With the emergence of defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II, the trade for outside linebacker  Brian Burns, and the draft additions of the very driven and focused Kayvon Thibodeaux and outside linebacker Abdul Carter, the Giants have one of the most talented defensive fronts in the NFL.

It’s not just the big names, though, as the depth of this line is now up to par with veteran additions as well as late-round picks in recent years developing into role players.

While spring isn’t always the best indicator of overall success in the trenches, it’s impossible to deny the talent that’s on the roster. Although there hasn't been full contact, the pass-rush hasn’t been truly tested yet, but there are things that we saw in practice that do translate.

We’ve seen the Giants get creative with their utilization of these players, especially Carter, who has lined up on the line, at off-ball linebacker, and out wide in various pressure packages. The versatility of Carter to play on the edge, as an inside linebacker, or even occasionally as an undersized 5-technique is going to help the Giants give opposing offenses fits.

Another thing that translates over is the visible athletic upgrades and explosive first step on the line. That was evident from the start of OTAs that this Giants team was more athletic than last season, from top to bottom.

The first step of guys like Burns and Thibodeaux has always been impressive, but Carter and, let’s not forget, defensive lineman Chauncey Golston had more explosive first steps than Azeez Ojulari and Tomon Fox in 2024.

So, good luck to opposing offenses in trying to figure out how to slow this group down, especially if they look as good as they have in non-contact drills.

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Hidden gems?

It’s not uncommon for the Giants to bring in a slew of receivers from training camp so that they have enough to fill out the different units on offense. But this year in particular, the Giants hit it out of the park with their undrafted free agent signees, setting up for a really interesting competition to come.  

Louisiana WR Dalen Cambre has been a star of the spring despite having virtually no offensive production in college. Cambre registered just 10 catches in five seasons at Louisiana but was a core contributor on special teams.

Throughout the spring, Cambre was constantly finding himself open against coverage regardless of whether he was facing the first, second, or third team. If he can carry that success over through the preseason while also being a special teams player, there’s a legit shot he can make the roster.

Da’Quan Felton and Beaux Collins haven’t been as consistently successful as Cambre. Still, they’ve both had days where they make big catches, especially Collins, who stepped in for Jalin Hyatt when he left the first day of the minicamp practice with a left leg injury.

It’s too soon to say if the next Victor Cruz will emerge from this group, but it is a situation where these guys weren’t just brought in as camp bodies. 

We’ll also note that the Giants made a concerted effort to add height to the receiver group, which should better align it with the deep passes that Russell Wilson and the rest of the quarterbacks on the roster are capable of generating.

The Oh-line

The Giants are projected as of right now to return the same five starters they opened last season with: Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan Jr, John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten, and Jermaine Eluemunor.

That unit wasn’t all that bad through the first six weeks of the season last year, at least until injuries started popping up. And while the preference might be to let that unit stay together given the chemistry it developed, there appears to be some competition brewing at guard, where Evan Neal is trying to make the conversion from tackle.

Neal spent a significant amount of the spring working at left guard, a position where he played in college and performed fairly well. Runyan, who was coming off ankle and shoulder issues, likely had his workload managed this spring, but it wouldn't be surprising if Neal should show he’s ready for the role and Runyan gets moved to right guard.  

Other questions need to be answered on the offensive line, such as who will be the backup to Thomas at left tackle. James Hudson III appeared to be the next man up based on how the reps were distributed, but there will be a competition there as the Giants sort through who they plan to keep for depth.

Making sense of the injuries

It was kind of interesting to see how the Giants handled their injured players.

Normally, when someone is recovering from a season-ending injury, the team either holds them out completely or limits their activity.

That wasn’t necessarily the case this year. For instance, Dexter Lawrence II, who had a season-ending elbow last year, didn’t partake in the team drills despite his being okay to participate in the skills competition at the Pro Bowl a few months back.

Receiver Malik Nabers, who didn’t miss a game due to a toe issue that landed him on the injury report late in the season, was held out of practice all spring. And inside linebacker Bobby Okereke, who is coming off a disc injury to his back, started in the spring before finally having the team back off of him.

Daboll noted that when guys were greenlighted to practice by the medical team, they would be out there. And while he didn’t express any concern about anyone being ready for the summer, it’s fair to wonder about some of the decisions and if they’re trying to sweep any concerns under the rug for the time being.  

Speaking of injuries, rookie draft picks Darius Alexander and Cam Skattebo barely did any work this spring. While that’s not necessarily catastrophic, whenever a rookie misses practice time, even during non-contact practices, that raises a red flag because valuable time is being lost, which puts a rookie behind the curve.

Calling it now

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka finished the spring as the team’s play-caller on offense, a sure sign that he’s going to keep that role going into the summer, preseason, and regular season.

The decision not only makes sense, but it’s the right move, given where this team is. Daboll, who took on the play calling last year, only has so many hours in the day to get to everything, and there were times last year when one might argue that he could have been a little bit more involved with the defense and special teams, both inconsistent units.

But in terms of the bigger picture, Daboll has a young quarterback to develop that he hand-picked. If the head coach is going to spend a large chunk of his in-season days worrying about the game plan and then being locked into play calling on game day, that doesn’t leave a lot of time to work with Dart, the young quarterback.

Winston and Wilson are experienced veterans who have seen far more at this level than Dart, so to have Kafka call the plays this year shouldn’t be catastrophic. Eventually, Daboll will take the role back once Dart becomes the full-time starter, which is expected to happen by next season at the latest.  

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