It’s become a springtime rite for the Giants. A new offensive line coach arrives, assessing the damage and trying to understand the broken psyche of the players he’s inheriting.
After all, the offensive line has been a positional group mess for nearly a decade.
Bobby Johnson, who was hired by head coach Brian Daboll after their time together in Buffalo, will be up next. Did Johnson see a wounded and distressed group of players coming back from the pretty bad offensive line of 2021?
“These are all extreme words,” Johnson said Thursday. “I would say this: I’ve noticed a sense that in this profession, whether you’re a coach or a player, you have things that we call scar tissue, or, not to take the situation lightly, a certain amount PTSD about things that have happened to you that shape your identity or your philosophy and there are quite a few people I’ve interacted with who have had that because of things that have happened in the recent past.”
Bobby Johnson is the Giants’ new offensive line coach. Getty Images
When head coach Brian Daboll said “we’re going to have some guys in red shirts,” he wasn’t kidding, as several players wore red shirts – meaning they’re either recovering from injuries or there’s something going on that the medical staff is about to do in practice label them as non-participants.
Two marquee wide receivers, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, were in red and stayed away from any teamwork. Others in this group were offensive linemen Andrew Thomas, Matt Peart and Nick Gates; linebackers Blake Martinez, Cam Brown and TJ Brunson; Receiver Sterling Shepard and cornerback Rodarius Williams.
“Some can do a little more than others,” said Daboll.
Rookie WR Wan’Dale Robinson was absent because he had to attend an NFL rookie symposium, and DT Dexter Lawrence and TE Ricky Seals-Jones were excused for personal reasons.
Kadarius Toney wears a red training shirt at Giants minicamp. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
When asked about Golladay and Toney, Daboll said, “They’ve been to all the meetings. You are doing a good job. It’s just good to have all the guys here so we can do our stuff.”
One thing about No. 5 overall rookie edge rusher Kay von Thibodeaux that caught the eye of veteran defender Leonard Williams is the way Thibodeaux was quick to volunteer to play as the scout team’s offensive lineman during practice to set up.
“I appreciate things like that from top picks because he knows he has more to bring to the team,” Williams said. “Just because he was drafted high doesn’t mean he can’t help.”
Rookie CB Cor’Dale Flott, an LSU third-round pick, became the seventh member of the 2022 draft class to sign his contract. The four unsigned draft picks are Robinson, G. Joshua Ezeudu, TE Daniel Bellinger and S. Dane Belton. … The Giants signed their fifth player in two days when they added free agent CB Michael Jacquet. He is the fourth new defender this week. Jacquet, 25, played in seven games (two starts) for the Eagles in 2020 and played for the Jaguars in the 2021 season finale. In order to create space in the squad, rookie DT Antonio Valentino was left out.