Training camp officially begins today for the New York Giants, with the players that have made it this far reporting in for the earliest stages of activities, and the roster will soon be trimmed to the one that will take the field at the start of the season. It’s also a chance for fans to get a look at how the new additions to the team are fitting into the system.
Who are the ones worth paying the most attention to? Here’s two that are outside of the obvious names such as Saquon Barkley. One for the defense, and one for the offense.
Connor Barwin, OLB
Connor Barwin agreeing to a two year deal with the Giants is big for the team. The pass rusher brings something much needed to the Giants defense, and can be a veteran presence to aid rookie linebacker Lorenzo Carter. However, the clock isn’t on Barwin’s side. At least, it shouldn’t be when you look at the numbers on paper.
The Eagles released Barwin in 2017 and he was picked up on a one year deal by the Rams, who didn’t sign him to another contract. There’s a reason why both teams moved on from him, despite having five sacks and decent tackling numbers in both of his last two seasons. Barwin is 31, and this training camp will be big for him.
It’s a chance for the team to see whether he still has the skill and athleticism at 31 to play a big role in the pass rush, and Barwin’s training camp will surely have an effect on the position battles at outside linebacker. Giants fans have been optimistic so far after the team picked Barwin up, but it’s time for Barwin to prove that their confidence is well placed.
Cody Latimer, WR
Cody Latimer is another newly signed player, who joined the Giants back in March. The receiver played his entire career for the Broncos before his move to New York, but didn’t have a notable season until last year. That was when he recorded more than three times more yards than he did the previous season, and scored two touchdowns while increasing his average yards per catch from 9.5 to 15.1
Can Latimer keep improving and play a bigger role with the Giants than he did with the Broncos? That’s the big question going into training camp. Latimer faces a lot of competition. Obviously, Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard are the team’s main receivers. The fact that their status is already clearly defined just makes the competition even fiercer between the others at the position.
Latimer could be the third wide receiver on the depth chart, but that assumes that he fends off efforts from Roger Lewis and Amba Etta-Tawo. If Latimer does put up good performances in training camp, the help in the passing game will be very useful to quarterback Eli Manning, who was let down by his receivers once Beckham Jr. was injured last season.