Giants.com is counting down the start of training camp with 20 questions in 20 days.
10) What are the competitions to watch on defense?
John Schmeelk: There is going to be competition all over the defense, whether it is for a starting job or backup role. Here are the spots I am watching in order of impact.
Defensive Tackle: I think we all believe DJ Reader could be one of the starters, but who will be the second one? If the team is playing in base personnel, they will need three interior defensive linemen. Darius Alexander will be in the mix as a potential three-technique that turns 26 in his second year. Veterans Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, Zacch Pickens, Josh Tupou, and Sam Roberts will be in the mix for potential playing time along with some younger players. The Giants want to be better against the run, and this is where it starts.
Cornerback: Who will the second outside cornerback be? Greg Newsome II, Deonte Banks and rookie Colton Hood all had their moments in the spring, and I expect all of them to have a chance to earn playing time in the summer. All three players want to be physical and press near the line of scrimmage, so their styles should make them interchangeable.
Safety: The incumbents are Tyler Nubin and Jevón Holland, but what role will Ar'Darius Washington and Jason Pinnock going to play? How frequently do the Giants play three safeties with one sliding into the slot? Or does Dru Phillips play that spot full time? It is something worth watching.
Outside Linebacker: Do the Giants keep another edge rusher besides Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter and Chauncey Golston? If they do, it will have to be a special teams-heavy role. Does Caleb Murphy, Trace Ford or Khalid Kareem do enough to force their way onto the roster?
Inside Linebacker: Assuming the top three inside linebackers are Tremaine Edmunds, Arvell Reese and Micah McFadden, who are the fourth and fifth backers? Darius Muasau is a favorite given his youth and how much he played last year, but can rookie Jack Kelly work himself up the depth chart? Or does a veteran like Zaire Barnes or Cam Jones force his way onto the roster for his special teams ability?
Previous Questions
JAXSON-DART
1 / 92
CB Paulson Adebo
2 / 92
CB Paulson Adebo
DL Darius Alexander
3 / 92
DL Darius Alexander
QB Brandon Allen
4 / 92
QB Brandon Allen
WR Calvin Austin III
5 / 92
WR Calvin Austin III
CB Deonte Banks
6 / 92
CB Deonte Banks
RB Damon Bankston
7 / 92
RB Damon Bankston
DL Anquin Barnes Jr.
8 / 92
DL Anquin Barnes Jr.
LB Zaire Barnes
9 / 92
LB Zaire Barnes
DL Ben Barten
10 / 92
DL Ben Barten
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
11 / 92
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
12 / 92
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
WR Braxton Berrios
13 / 92
WR Braxton Berrios
CB Korie Black
14 / 92
CB Korie Black
S Beau Brade
15 / 92
S Beau Brade
OLB Brian Burns
16 / 92
OLB Brian Burns
WR Dalen Cambre
17 / 92
WR Dalen Cambre
DB Elijah Campbell
18 / 92
DB Elijah Campbell
OLB Abdul Carter
19 / 92
OLB Abdul Carter
WR Beaux Collins
20 / 92
WR Beaux Collins
TE Tanner Conner
21 / 92
TE Tanner Conner
QB Jaxson Dart
22 / 92
QB Jaxson Dart
OL J.C. Davis
23 / 92
OL J.C. Davis
LB Tremaine Edmunds
24 / 92
LB Tremaine Edmunds
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
25 / 92
OL Jermaine Eluemunor
OL Joshua Ezeudu
26 / 92
OL Joshua Ezeudu
OL Daniel Faalele
27 / 92
OL Daniel Faalele
TE Thomas Fidone II
28 / 92
TE Thomas Fidone II
WR Malachi Fields
29 / 92
WR Malachi Fields
OLB Trace Ford
30 / 92
OLB Trace Ford
DL Leki Fotu
31 / 92
DL Leki Fotu
WR Xavier Gipson
32 / 92
WR Xavier Gipson
DL Chauncey Golston
33 / 92
DL Chauncey Golston
RB Eric Gray
34 / 92
RB Eric Gray
OL Jarrod Gray (Exempt/International Player)
35 / 92
OL Jarrod Gray (Exempt/International Player)
CB Art Green
36 / 92
CB Art Green
DL Shelby Harris
37 / 92
DL Shelby Harris
WR Isaiah Hodgins
38 / 92
WR Isaiah Hodgins
S Jevón Holland
39 / 92
S Jevón Holland
CB Colton Hood
40 / 92
CB Colton Hood
OL Bryan Hudson
41 / 92
OL Bryan Hudson
WR Jalin Hyatt
42 / 92
WR Jalin Hyatt
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis
43 / 92
DL Bobby Jamison-Travis
TE Theo Johnson
44 / 92
TE Theo Johnson
LB Cam Jones
45 / 92
LB Cam Jones
CB Nic Jones
46 / 92
CB Nic Jones
OLB Khalid Kareem
47 / 92
OLB Khalid Kareem
LB Jack Kelly
48 / 92
LB Jack Kelly
OL Jake Kubas
49 / 92
OL Jake Kubas
S Raheem Layne
50 / 92
S Raheem Layne
TE Isaiah Likely
51 / 92
TE Isaiah Likely
TE Chris Manhertz
52 / 92
TE Chris Manhertz
LS Ben Mann
53 / 92
LS Ben Mann
OL Francis Mauigoa
54 / 92
OL Francis Mauigoa
OL Marcus Mbow
55 / 92
OL Marcus Mbow
ILB Micah McFadden
56 / 92
ILB Micah McFadden
RB Dante Miller
57 / 92
RB Dante Miller
WR Ryan Miller
58 / 92
WR Ryan Miller
WR Darnell Mooney
59 / 92
WR Darnell Mooney
ILB Darius Muasau
60 / 92
ILB Darius Muasau
OLB Caleb Murphy
61 / 92
OLB Caleb Murphy
WR Malik Nabers
62 / 92
WR Malik Nabers
OL Evan Neal
63 / 92
OL Evan Neal
CB Greg Newsome II
64 / 92
CB Greg Newsome II
S Tyler Nubin
65 / 92
S Tyler Nubin
OL Lucas Patrick
66 / 92
OL Lucas Patrick
CB Dru Phillips
67 / 92
CB Dru Phillips
DL Zacch Pickens
68 / 92
DL Zacch Pickens
S Jason Pinnock
69 / 92
S Jason Pinnock
DL C.J. Ravenell
70 / 92
DL C.J. Ravenell
DL DJ Reader
71 / 92
DL DJ Reader
LB Arvell Reese
72 / 92
LB Arvell Reese
FB Patrick Ricard
73 / 92
FB Patrick Ricard
DL Sam Roberts
74 / 92
DL Sam Roberts
DT Roy Robertson-Harris
75 / 92
DT Roy Robertson-Harris
G Jon Runyan
76 / 92
G Jon Runyan
K Ben Sauls
77 / 92
K Ben Sauls
OL Ryan Schernecke
78 / 92
OL Ryan Schernecke
C John Michael Schmitz Jr.
79 / 92
C John Michael Schmitz Jr.
RB Devin Singletary
80 / 92
RB Devin Singletary
RB Cam Skattebo
81 / 92
RB Cam Skattebo
WR Darius Slayton
82 / 92
WR Darius Slayton
WR Juju Smith-Schuster
83 / 92
WR Juju Smith-Schuster
G Aaron Stinnie
84 / 92
G Aaron Stinnie
P Jordan Stout
85 / 92
P Jordan Stout
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
86 / 92
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
T Andrew Thomas
87 / 92
T Andrew Thomas
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
88 / 92
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
DL Josh Tupou
89 / 92
DL Josh Tupou
S Ar'Darius Washington
90 / 92
S Ar'Darius Washington
QB Jameis Winston
91 / 92
QB Jameis Winston
K Dominic Zvada
92 / 92
K Dominic Zvada
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