Giants camp takeaways: Jaxson Dart growing pains; Russell Wilson locked in on Malik Nabers

New York Times

3 days ago

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — This is the time of the year when it's important to issue a disclaimer not to overreact to training camp practices. We follow that up, of course, by overanalyzing every rep from every practice.
With that in mind, here's everything that happened in the New York Giants' first practice of camp:
RB Eric Gray (knee), LT Andrew Thomas (foot) and OLB Victor Dimukeje (pec) were the only players not spotted at practice. Gray and Thomas landed on the physically unable to perform list, while Dimukeje is on the non-football injury list.
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General manager Joe Schoen said Thomas 'should be ready for the opener,' but left some wiggle room.
'Again, things change,' Schoen said. 'You can never be 100%, but we're going to take it day by day with him.'
The Giants appeared to make it through the first practice of camp unscathed. The only player on a noticeable pitch count was defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who dislocated his elbow last November.
Lawrence rotated in for a few reps in team periods after being limited to individual drills during the spring. Lawrence said his recovery will be a 'day-by-day' process.
This section was a spotlight on all four quarterbacks during the spring, but it makes sense to shift the focus to the player who is going to be the center of attention this summer: First-round pick Jaxson Dart.
Dart's development will be the most important development to monitor, although his timeline won't be rushed. Coach Brian Daboll reaffirmed that veteran Russell Wilson is the team's starting quarterback. There's no plan for an open competition to allow Dart to seize the job in camp. Instead, he'll be given time to learn and grow behind Wilson.
There will surely be growing pains within that process, as Dart's first pass in team periods on Tuesday demonstrated.
Jaxson Dart's first 11-on-11 pass was intercepted by Nic Jones.
Jones took Dart to the house for six two plays later 😳
🎥 @charlottecrrllpic.twitter.com/Yofn9I7THT
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) July 23, 2025
The quarterback dropped back and stared down tight end Greg Dulcich running a curl route on the left side of the field. Slot cornerback Nic Jones read Dart the whole way and jumped the pass, intercepting it and taking it the other way for a touchdown.
Dart told The Athletic's Ian O'Connor after practice that he saw Jones but thought he could beat the corner with the throw.
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'Obviously, going back, you want to try to put it a little on the outside shoulder,' Dart said. 'That's just the closing speed of the NFL. You do your best to try to get used to it because there are a lot of really, really good athletes out here.'
Dart responded two plays later by fielding a low snap, taking a step to his right and quickly pivoting back to his left before flipping a pass to tight end Theo Johnson for a short touchdown. That was the lone highlight for Dart on the first day of camp.
Rookie QB Jaxson Dart's first 11-on-11 TD of training camp went to TE Theo Johnson #giants pic.twitter.com/nHnAW8rY8r
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) July 23, 2025
The rookie completed 1-of-5 passes in 11-on-11 periods with the full team. He held the ball extensively on a few dropbacks, which is indicative of his indecisiveness as he learns the offense.
Daboll instituted a period for young players late in the practice, which he's done sporadically in previous camps. Dart completed his lone attempt to undrafted rookie wide receiver Beaux Collins during that period. He also fumbled a snap from under center. Dart's comfort taking snaps from center will bear monitoring since he worked almost exclusively from the shotgun in college.
Dart slipped in for Wilson on one first-team rep, throwing an incompletion intended for wide receiver Darius Slayton. Otherwise, Dart rotated with Jameis Winston as the No. 2 quarterback.
• All team 11-on-11 periods were conducted in the red zone, which is by design to avoid any muscle strains from players sprinting long distances on the first day of camp.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers was targeted on seven of Wilson's 15 attempts, although they only connected for three completions. Nabers made an excellent leaping catch over cornerback Deonte Banks on a fade for a touchdown. Banks had previously forced an incompletion with tight coverage on an underthrown end-zone fade to Nabers.
Malik Nabers vs. Deonte Banks #giants pic.twitter.com/uD73hHVs4B
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) July 23, 2025
Practice finished with Wilson hitting Nabers for a touchdown on a slant route with Cor'Dale Flott in coverage. That was a situational period with the offense trailing by four points and having a second-and-4 from the 7-yard line. After Wilson threw a pass away while targeting Nabers, he came back with the touchdown on the slant.
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Nabers was a full participant in practice after spending the entire spring rehabilitating a nagging toe injury. Nabers said he expects to manage the toe during training camp and didn't rule out surgery at some point, but he said he feels good now.
• It can be challenging to track the depth chart during team periods because players are shuffled so frequently. It's more telling when the units separate for walk-through install periods.
These players were with the starting offense during an install period: QB Russell Wilson, RB Tyrone Tracy, RB Devin Singletary, RB Cam Skattebo, WR Malik Nabers, WR Darius Slayton, WR Wan'Dale Robinson, TE Theo Johnson, TE Chris Manhertz, TE Daniel Bellinger, LT James Hudson, LG Jon Runyan, C John Michael Schmitz, RG Greg Van Roten, RT Jermaine Eluemunor, OT Marcus Mbow and OG Jake Kubas.
• Van Roten was the first-team right guard for the bulk of practice, with Kubas and Evan Neal each playing one period at right guard with the starters. Hudson served as the first-team left tackle in Thomas' place. Mbow worked at both tackle spots with the second-team offense.
• Fourth-string quarterback Tommy DeVito was limited to just three reps in 11-on-11 periods. He took two additional reps in the period for young players. It's going to be hard to justify carrying a fourth quarterback throughout camp, especially when the three QBs ahead of DeVito are new to the system and need reps.
• The competition for the No. 2 cornerback job appears legitimate. Flott was the starter opposite Paulson Adebo for the first 7-on-7 period of practice. Flott and Banks rotated throughout practice, with Flott on the field for the final situational period.
It would be best for the Giants if the more talented Banks wins the job, but they likely feel the need to make him earn it after his performance and attitude were disappointing last season.
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• Okereke, who suffered a season-ending back injury last year, participated in almost every period after missing the final four open practices of the spring. Darius Muasau was the next inside linebacker up alongside Micah McFadden when Okereke sat out on Tuesday.
• Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka served as the play caller, as was the case all spring. Kafka's Kansas City roots were evident on a few play designs in the red zone.
Dart learned a valuable lesson on the interception, while Jones turned heads with his good read and ability to finish the play with a takeaway. Jones broke into the open field after intercepting the pass, setting off a celebration with defensive teammates.
'Yesterday, I challenged the defense. They want to talk about our D-line and all this, but we haven't done anything yet. We have to come out here every day and improve and get better and challenge each other and just work and be critical and be coachable.' — DL Dexter Lawrence
"As a leader, I try to challenge everybody to prove themselves every day. They want to talk about our D-Line, but we ain't done anything yet."
– Dexter Lawrence pic.twitter.com/SI8kZhHN3d
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) July 23, 2025
The Giants will conduct their second training camp practice at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. The session is open to fans.
(Photo of Nabers: Julian Leshay Guadalupe / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)