Giants training camp: What we learned on Day 5

With pads on, Giants work heavily on the run game

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants held their first fully-padded practice of 2025 training camp on Monday, and there was good news. There were no fights, and no noticeable injuries.

Let’s get to some of what we saw and learned on Monday.

Run-heavy practice

Brian Daboll indicated before practice that the workout would be run-heavy, and he wasn’t kidding. There were 35 plays during the various 11-on-11 practice periods. By my count, 22 of those were run plays.

That is pretty much the exact opposite of how 11-on-11 without full pads generally works.

“You don’t really run the ball too much, I would say, in OTAs or even these first few days just because you don’t want to put anybody in a bad situation,” Daboll said. “Now the double teams and the scoop blocks and the down blocks and the power rushes, that’s when you start to be able to evaluate the offensive line a little bit more.

“When you’re in OTAs and the first few days of practice, there’s a way you try to practice. It’s a physical sport, but you’re doing things to try to eliminate some of those things when you don’t have pads on. A bunch of double teams with no pads on – that’s hard too – on the defensive lineman or a pick stunt on an offensive lineman when he’s got no pads on with the technique that they have to use.”

Rookie Cam Skattebo and second-year back Tyrone Tracy both broke long runs during practice.

Gunner’s back!

What goes around comes around. Gunner Olszewski lost his kick return job with the Giants last season due to a groin injury that landed him on IR. Olszewski is back with the Giants now thanks to the season-ending injury suffered by special teamer Bryce Ford Wheaton.

While he is thought of primarily as a return man, the 28-year-old Olszewski does have some experience on kickoff and punt coverage.

Injury updates

• Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was held out of practice. Coach Brian Daboll said “nothing serious” was wrong with Robinson, but that he had taken a knee to the leg on Sunday and the Giants were giving him a day to rest.
• Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt continued to be limited after suffering a leg injury on Thursday. Hyatt worked in individual drills, but sat out team periods.
• Edge defender Brian Burns was a full practice participant. Burns had been a limited participant on Sunday after his full-speed collision with Robinson on Friday. Here is Burns talking about the importance of leading by example on the practice field;

Quote of the day

— Daboll on the season-ending torn Achilles tendon suffered by Ford-Wheaton [Full story]

No fights, but …

I would lay money right now if DraftKings or FanDuel or whoever wants to create the prop bet that whenever the first fight of training camp happens offensive tackle James Hudson III will be in the middle of it.

Hudson got into it with Brian Burns during mandatory minicamp, and there was a rep in the first couple of days where Burns wasn’t happy that Hudson, playing left tackle in Andrew Thomas’s absence, drove Burns to the turf.

On Monday, Hudson rudely tossed Kayvon Thibodeaux to the ground during 1-on-1 blocking drills. That necessitated a little timeout for the entire group.

Your daily Dart

The most notable thing from Dart’s day on Monday, where there was little passing, was learning that the rookie quarterback does indeed know how to slide. This was the final play of a sweltering practice:

Dart showed no hesitation at Ole Miss about lowering his shoulder and taking on defenders. Recall GM Joe Schoen saying when the Giants drafted him that they would need to teach him how to slide.

So, now we know he can.

Dart was unofficially 4 of 6 throwing the ball.

Dart said after Sunday’s practice that the game was “slowing down” for him.

Daboll seems pleased with Dart’s progress.

“Since he’s been here, he’s been steadily improving, learning how we want to run the football team from the quarterback position,” Daboll said. “He made a lot of good decisions [Sunday], made a lot of things that we could go ahead and correct. He had a pretty efficient drive, was good quarterback play, had a couple checks in there on his own, made some plays against different looks, some max pressures, some guys dropping off. He played on time, his feet were good, played fast, knew where to go with the football, did a good job of leading the guys in the huddle. (It was a) productive day for him. Still some things within that day that we go back and take a look at, but just keep on making progress.”

If Kay says it

Kay Adams was at Giants camp Monday. She liked what she saw, so it must be true.

Finally!

“When training camp hits, I don’t have much tolerance for mistakes.”

That was Daboll during mandatory minicamp. Until Monday, though, Daboll had shown a good deal of tolerance. Despite numerous offside, false start and delay of game penalties, plus John Michael Schmitz’s rough day snapping on Friday, Daboll held his water.

On Monday, though, a false start penalty by the offense while trying to work off its own goal line finally got Daboll to lose his cool. From my vantage point nearly 100 yards away I could not see who committed the penalty or who Daboll was yelling at, but I was happy to see the Giants not simply move on to the next play without some reaction from the head coach.

There have to be consequences for mistakes.

Play of the day

After just a few days of practice it is clear that backup quarterback Jameis Winston has never seen a tight window he did not believe he could squeeze a throw into. On Monday, Winston tried to thread a deep ball to wide receiver Jordan Bly over cornerback Art Green. That resulted in a spectacular one-handed interception by Green.

Lineup notes

• With Robinson sitting out, undrafted rookie Dalen Cambre got some first-team reps in the slot.
• Neal continued to rotate with Van Roten at right guard. He also got left guard reps with the second unit.
• Cor’Dale Flott and Deonte Banks are splitting duties at cornerback with the first team. I have not charted every rep, but it seems pretty clear that Flott is getting more reps.
• Skattebo did receive some first-team running back reps on Monday.

I got to sign the bus

Check out my Monday appearance on the ‘Giants Nation Show’ with Bobby Skinner and Ryan Novozinsky. My maiden trip to the bus.

Slang lesson of the day

I will be 65 years old in two weeks. Forgive me if sometimes when players speak I am at a loss to understand what they are saying. Like Monday, when Brian Burns said this about Abdul Carter:

“Jit is a dog.”

Uhh, what? Even Nick Falato, who was at practice with me on Monday, was mystified.

Turns out “jit” means a young or inexperienced person. At least, that’s what Google tells me.

Remaining open practices

Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. ET
All practices will begin at approx. 10 a.m. ET*

Tuesday, July 29
Thursday, July 31
Friday, Aug. 1
Saturday, Aug. 2
Monday, Aug. 4
Wednesday, Aug. 13 (Jets Joint Practice)

*Scheduled times subject to change. In the event of inclement weather, practice will be moved indoors and there will be no public viewing. For the most up-to-date information on training camp, visit Giants.com, @Giants on Twitter, the Giants App, or call the Training Camp Hotline at 201.935.8111 ext. 1070.