What to Watch for in Big Blue’s OTA’s
The New York Football Giants are officially preparing for the new season. On Tuesday, May 27th, the Giants will kick off their OTAs. This will take place at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in the Meadowlands, near MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants. There are three key areas that the franchise and fans will need to watch to see where the Giants will stand this coming season.
OTA’s are always contactless and not everyone on the team has to participate. The Giants will work together for the next ten days. They will start on May 27th and go through until June 13th. The Giants will conduct a multitude of drills such as seven-on-seven, nine-on-seven, and 11-on-11 drills without having any contact. It’s not only them, but other teams around the league will start their OTAs too. After OTA’s conclude, the Giants will enter into mandatory minicamps.
This year, a lot of areas that New York will focus on will be the offensive line. The defensive line may still be being rebuilt, but it’s more intact than the offense has been in years. The Giants have been training, but they are ready for more. This season will look better than it has been if the Giants can figure out where their struggles are on this line.
The first area that everyone will need to pay attention to is the Giants quarterback dynamics. Russell Wilson will lead the Giants this year right alongside rookie Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston being the backup quarterback during this time period. Dart is expected to start developing his strategy under both of these veteran QBs. Mostly Wilson however, the sooner they get him trained to be a lead quarterback, the much better shape the Giant's future will be.
The Giants have a second area that needs a lot of work. The wide receiver competition is at its best. Several are trying to secure a more prominent role in what they can do. Jaylin Hyatt’s aiming to get back into being a starter again this season after being a complete bust for the last several years. His performance that he can show during OTAs may determine where this wide receiver stands on both the depth chart and how he plays for this coming season. Hyatt may see a lot more of the sidelines this year if he cannot prove himself or the Giants may make the decision to trade him away.
The last area overall is that the Giants have made offensive line adjustments and they will need to continue those adjustments. Evan Neal's transition from right tackle to guard is going to be pivotal for the Giants. It’s a focus point in strengthening the line. The coaches and the rest of the staff believe that this adjustment will help out with what they are trying to go for.
The Giants will work hard over the next several days. It’s not going to be hard for them but as the new season progresses, they may find areas where they still struggle. The defense has its own set of issues, but the Giants seemed to have gotten that straightened out for the new season. It will be interesting to watch them work together for the first time in the next few weeks.
