EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants held their last padded practice before traveling to hold a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday. Here are some of the takeaways.
Malik Nabers’ update
The Giants star wide receiver practiced for a second straight day. This was a lighter day for Nabers after he took seven team reps on Monday, his first of the summer as he works to return from a torn ACL.
Nabers, again in a red jersey, was in shells while the rest of his teammates practiced in full pads. He did take a couple of team reps. He caught a long pass from Jaxson Dart in 7-on-7, a play where it was clear defensive backs Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland understood that they were not to hit Nabers. In real game action, the two defensive backs could have laid a big hit on the wide receiver.
Head coach John Harbaugh said Nabers will need to “get bumped around and hit and fronted up” in practice before the Giants consider playing him in a game. The Giants aren’t ready for that to happen yet.
Injury updates
Cornerback Colton Hood (unknown), wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (ankle/leg), and defensive tackle Josh Tupou and Bobby Jamison-Travis (both unknown) did not practice.
Arvell’s impact
Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese made back-to-back big plays during 11-on-11 red zone work. First, he used his size and athleticism to swat away a pass Dart tried to float over him to tight end Isaiah Likely at the goal line. On the next play, Reese and Chauncey Golston barreled into the backfield to stop Cam Skattebo for a loss.
Andrew’s revenge
In West Virginia, there were a couple of days where edge defender Abdul Carter got the better of Andrew Thomas. During 1-on-1 blocking/rushing drills on Tuesday, Thomas got a measure of revenge.
The two squared off in back-to-back reps. First, Thomas used his left arm to simply force the speed-rushing Carter around the pocket. On the next rep, Carter tried to bull rush Thomas and wound up going nowhere.
A few other highlights from the blocking/rushing 1-on-1 drills:
- Sisi Mauigoa won reps against Chauncey Golston and Darius Alexander.
- Rookie Anquin Barnes smoked Evan Neal, getting to his left shoulder and ripping past him.
- Daniel Faalele had two reps against Kayvon Thibodeaux. He lost the first one, when Thibodeaux went inside of him. On the second, he pushed Thibodeaux past the pocket.
- Jake Kubas, bidding to rise up the depth chart, had teammates whooping when he stoned Thibodeaux on a power rush.
The Giants also did wide receiver vs. cornerback 1-on-1 drills. Here are a couple of highlights:
- Dru Phillips, who is back after missing time with a knee sprain, batted away a short out intended for Darnell Mooney.
- Ryan Miller smoked Paulson Adebo on an out-and-up, and was clearly frustrated when quarterback Brandon Allen let the play go without throwing the ball.
- Malachi Fields also beat Adebo on a deep ball. Adebo was in position, but didn’t locate the ball in the air.
- Nabers lined up to take a rep in this session, but as soon as he did the whistle was blown to end the drill.
Notes
- Josh Ezeudu was working exclusively at guard on Tuesday. Marcus Mbow was the second-team right tackle, and J.C. Davis was at left tackle.
- Adebo got a few first-team reps, but did a lot of his work with the second unit.
- The Giants continued to mix and match at both cornerback and safety. Korie Black even got a rep or two at cornerback with the first team.
- The Giants did a lot of work on fourth-down situations of 5 yards or less.
- Both Ben Sauls and Dominic Zvada kicked field goals. I couldn’t see all of the kicks, but Sauls missed back-to-back kicks from what looked like 45-50 yards. He made what appeared to be a 55-yarder. I did not see Zvada miss any kicks.
- Practice, scheduled to go from 1:40-4:00 p.m., wrapped at 3:30. Harbaugh must be getting soft!
- The Giants will practice in shells on Wednesday and then head to Miami for Thursday’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. There is no media availability on Wednesday.