Veterans have practiced. Rookies have practiced. Offense has practiced. Defense has practiced. They all hit the field together for the first time on Monday.
That's when the New York Giants begin the third and final phase of their voluntary offseason workout program. The meat of the next month will be organized team activities (OTAs), a series of 10 practices at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
Live contact still is not permitted – it won't be until training camp – but we will see 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. We will also hear from head coach Pat Shurmur and players along the way. Competition is sure to be stiff on the 90-man roster as players try to make their case in front a new coaching staff for a spot on the 53.
"I'm thrilled with the way that our guys have been performing," Shurmur said last week at rookie minicamp. "Unfortunately, you haven't been able to watch it and so I'm looking forward to getting them all together on Monday, so that's where we're at. Try to get the players as good as they can be individually. When they train next to one another, they challenge each other and they get better as a group and then just keep moving that train forward."
Keep an eye on these five players as the Giants begin OTAs on Monday.
RB SAQUON BARKLEY
While he won't be breaking any tackles just yet because contact is not permitted during OTAs, Barkley's athleticism is on display every time he touches the field. He will also have a chance to work on his routes with Eli Manning as he figures to be a weapon in the passing game.
CB ELI APPLE
With a clean slate from his new head coach and new general manager, Apple is looking to bounce back in his third season. The former 10th overall draft pick already started with a strong showing at the Giants' minicamp at the end of April.
QB DAVIS WEBB
The Giants did not take a quarterback with the second overall pick, but they did draft one in the fourth round in Richmond's Kyle Lauletta. What that means for Davis Webb in the backup QB competition remains to be seen and depends on their play, starting with OTAs.
WR CODY LATIMER
Last month, the Giants terminated the contract of veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall after he failed his physical. A month before that, the team signed Latimer, a former second-round pick from the Broncos looking for a spot in the Giants' pecking order.
S DARIAN THOMPSON
The Giants have an interesting competition in James Bettcher's defense opposite Landon Collins, who is on the mend. Thompson, who started all 16 games in his second season, will compete with Andrew Adams and newcomers Michael Thomas (veteran free agent) and Sean Chandler (undrafted free agent).
Here is the train schedule for the rest of spring football:
OTAs: May 21-22, May 24, May 29-31, June 4-7
Mandatory Minicamp: June 12-14
Each club's official, voluntary offseason program is conducted in three phases over the course of nine weeks:
•Phase One (completed) consists of the first two weeks of the program with activities limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only.
•Phase Two (completed) consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual player instruction and drills as well as team practice conducted on a "separates" basis. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.
•Phase Three (begins Monday) consists of the final four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity (OTAs). No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
