The rubber starts to meet the road this week.
With less than a month to Week 1, NFL clubs must make the first of three rounds of roster reductions by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, trimming the active list from 90 to 85 players. Meanwhile, the preseason rolls along as the Giants prepare to host the defending AFC champion Bengals on Sunday night.
"We're evaluating players right now," coach Brian Daboll said. "We're working through a lot of different schemes. That's not much different than the last 22 years I've been around. But we want to perform well when it counts the most, which is on gameday."
Here are the highlights from Monday's practice:
TOUCHDOWNS
The offensive play of the day was a 30-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Jones to Marcus Kemp during one-on-one drills. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver made a great play to high-point the football in the corner of the end zone. Originally undrafted out of Hawaii in 2017, Kemp has played in 44 career games, including 16 with the Chiefs last season.
TAKEAWAYS
There were three on the day, starting with safety Andrew Adams on a tipped pass during team drills. Cornerback Darnay Holmes continued his impressive summer with another pick-six on Monday before safety Nate Meadors showed his vertical on the third interception of the day.
OTHER TOP PLAYS
*Jones fit a pass over the defense to wide receiver Collin Johnson, who laid out to make the reception. Johnson led the Giants with seven catches for 82 yards in the preseason.
"Well, he's made the most of his opportunities," Daboll said. "So, we've talked to these guys about earning it, and he's certainly earned it with his opportunities that he's gotten. If he does well, he'll get more opportunities. He's smart. He's got position flexibility in terms of intelligence and understanding the roster. He's made plays. He's done a nice job."
*Rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux once again showed why he was the fifth overall pick and would have recorded a few sacks in live action.
"I like the way that he works," said Azeez Ojulari, who set the franchise rookie sack record last season. "He comes in every day and competes and works hard. Tries to push everyone. Just gets better every day. A head down guy, just coming in, trying to get better and compete."
