There’s a chance you may not see the Giants’ true first-team offense before the regular season, or at least nothing close to it until the final preseason game.
But the first-team defense should at least play enough Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland to receive a solid litmus test.
Head coach Joe Judge wouldn’t tip his hand Friday when asked how long his starters would be on the field. But one must presume that more of the defensive unit will suit up than when the Giants eased in last Saturday’s opener against the Jets.
“I’m going to talk with (Browns coach) Kevin (Stefanski) in terms of his plans,” Judge said. “I just want to make sure we keep our overall players’ loads in consideration going into it because it’ll also be a quick turnaround going from Cleveland, getting back home, training up to Boston and going against New England for a couple of days before playing the preseason game, through which we’re going to truly treat as more of that regular season dress rehearsal.”
In the Jets game, inside linebacker Tae Crowder and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari were the only potential starters who played. Julian Love, a key depth piece in the secondary, also lined up for several snaps.
Healthy scratches included defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, cornerbacks James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson and safeties Jabrill Peppers, Logan Ryan and Xavier McKinney.
Most of those players should see some snaps against the Browns along with middle linebacker Blake Martinez, who missed the opener with a non-football related illness but has returned to practice.
Judge said he hadn’t made a decision as of Friday on whether quarterback Daniel Jones would make his preseason debut. The starting offensive line played three drives against the Jets, but the offense as a whole is still working through injuries to starters including running back Saquon Barkley (ACL rehab) and wide receiver Kenny Golladay (hamstring).
New York and Cleveland conducted two joint practices Thursday and Friday, which was an important opportunity for the Giants to see how they stack up against a team that finished 11-5 last season.
The most intriguing matchup in Sunday’s game will be the Giants’ hard-nosed defensive line against the Browns’ offensive line, which is arguably the best in the NFL.
New York limited Cleveland 3.5 yards per rush in a 20-6 loss last December, and we’ll soon have a better idea of how the Giants’ patented run defense can handle the departure of longtime starting nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
The Giants also will get to square off with their deep secondary against Baker Mayfield and the Browns’ collection of talented receivers. Odell Beckham Jr. (ACL rehab) is expected to sit, but wideouts Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins and tight ends Austin Hooper and David Njoku are a solid group otherwise.
Landry is one of the league’s most dangerous slot receivers, which is convenient for the Giants since they have two young players in Darnay Holmes and Aaron Robinson competing for playing time at slot corner.
Hooper and Njoku will test the Giants’ linebackers and safeties. Crowder could use a sharp showing to lock down a starting job next to Martinez, especially since second-year player Carter Coughlin has come on strong this summer while transitioning from outside to inside linebacker.
But again, fans should still temper expectations for playing time in the second preseason game. Health obviously remains the priority, and starters also had competitive work in practice against a unique opponent during the week.
“That could factor for a lot of players based on what these two days look like in terms of the quality of work they got, who they’re going against and whether or not we think it’s going to be specifically beneficial for that player, or the team as a whole with building chemistry going forward for whatever the duration of the playing time would be in the game,” Judge said. “But we’re going to factor all that in.”