WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - The Giants got their third straight padded practice in on Wednesday, and if there was a clear offensive bright spot, it belonged to Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham put together his strongest day of camp, catching passes from Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston and Brandon Allen. A couple of those grabs turned into extra yards after the catch, the kind of burst that stood out in a session that had the offense looking sharper overall.
Beckham also worked with the first team again, his second straight day in that role. Jalin Hyatt and Xavier Gipson were in the mix there too.
Dart’s day was a mixed bag on paper, but still probably his best showing of camp. He tossed two interceptions, one when a slightly off-target throw was tipped by Darnell Mooney and picked off by Raheem Layne, and another when Elijah Campbell came down with a ball Dart tried to force to Calvin Austin. Even with those mistakes, he looked more in rhythm Wednesday.
That followed a Tuesday sequence that ended with a penalty after Dart fired a ball at Greg Newsome after a touchdown. John Harbaugh said the issue was handled in the film room.
“We have our team meeting, and all those plays come up, the different things come up. So, that’s an opportunity for coaching points.
So, we went over the sequence, and everybody knows,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “So, it was good.
He was great about it. He’s great about accepting responsibility and he’s a very accountable guy.”
Another young player making noise was Dalen Cambre. The second-year wide receiver has turned heads throughout camp while competing for a backup job, and Wednesday brought another highlight when he tracked down a deep ball from Winston down the right sideline.
“I see him make a circus catch every single day,” said Harbaugh. “And not just that, he’s doing all the other things.
He’s doing special teams. He knows what he’s doing.
He’s running great routes. I think he’s making a move.
I think he’s done a great job and he’s got our attention.”
Tae Banks kept building on a strong start to camp, even with a drop on an interception earlier in the week. The 2023 first-round pick remains in the fight for snaps opposite Paulson Adebo, and Harbaugh noted his familiarity with Banks from the Maryland days.
“We’ve known Tae for a long time. He’s from the area there, played at Maryland.
We knew him coming out,” Harbaugh said. “I was really thrilled that he was on the team coming here.
And I was excited to see how he did, and he’s done really well.”
Dominic Zvada also made the most of his turn in the kicking rotation with Ben Sauls. The undrafted rookie was perfect on Wednesday, going 10 for 10 on field goals and extra points.
Theo Johnson had one of those up-and-down practice days that seems to follow him. He can frustrate with easy drops, then flash on tougher catches, and Wednesday was the latter version. He made two difficult grabs with Tyler Nubin draped on him.
Calvin Austin kept adding to his own steady camp résumé as well.
There were a few practice hiccups. Andrew Thomas got pulled after a false start during a red zone period, a reminder that penalties are being watched closely even if Harbaugh hasn’t made them a public obsession in his media sessions.
The Giants also continued experimenting with a Kansas City Chiefs-style sneak/Tush Push look featuring Theo Johnson under center. They ran it from their own 1-yard line, and it did not win any fans on the sideline or in the stands of one observer who called it a terrible idea.
Injury-wise, Brian Burns and Beau Brade were held out, while rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields only worked individually. Harbaugh called all three “minor” and said each would have played if it had been a game day.
Dru Phillips left after a collision in the end zone and was also believed to be dealing with something minor, though the team planned to keep an eye on him. Malik Nabers stuck to his usual individual drills and routes on air.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was back as a full participant after sitting out a day with knee swelling, and Jarrick Bernard-Converse returned after missing a couple of practices. Cam Skattebo wasn’t listed as injured, but his workload was lighter.
The roster also changed again. Defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris was placed on season-ending IR, which shuts the door on a late-season return, and second-year receiver Beaux Collins was waived.
In their place, the Giants added defensive backs D.J. James and David Long.
One more familiar face showed up at practice: Marty Mornhinweg, the former Lions head coach and longtime NFL offensive coordinator, stopped by and introduced himself around the media. His son, Skyler, works as a football analyst for the Giants.
As for Beckham, he summed up the setting with a line that fit the day.
“There’s absolutely nothing to do here. Beautiful place, but nothing to do here.” - Odell Beckham on West Virginia
Wednesday also featured plenty of mixing and matching, with the Giants frequently pairing first-team units against second- or third-team groups rather than lining up ones versus ones. Harbaugh said that approach lets coaches control the menu of looks while still keeping the work realistic.
“You go ones against ones, you get good on good, just like you would expect. That’s more the coordinators calling what they want to call,” Harbaugh said.
“If we go ones versus twos, we’re still, at this stage of camp, we’re still running our offense and defense. But the coordinator, if it’s the first offense, then he’s going to ask for some things.
He wants to see more cover two, more cover three. He wants to see a blitz.
He doesn’t want to see a blitz. He can help script that, but the defense still plays.
It’s our calls, that kind of thing.
“And then you also, we were able to run some longer periods out. So, you saw the guys out there for 12 plays, nine plays, for six no huddle plays, things like that, which become more game-like. So, that’s the balance I think of it.”
The Giants still have two open practices left in West Virginia, so the window to catch them at the Greenbrier is almost shut.
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