NY Giants training camp 2025 practice highlights from the sidelines
See and hear New York Giants players in highlights during training camp practices from the sideline in East Rutherford.
LANDOVER, Md. – Dexter Lawrence was asked this week what makes him certain his New York Giants were ready for what awaited them Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders.
The Giants embraced the challenge of turning the page on a three-win campaign from a year ago and proving this is indeed a different team.
“We got to go beat Washington,” the Giants’ All-Pro defensive lineman said. “That’s how I’m going to answer that one.”
Now the Giants must ask themselves: Now what? The offense with Russell Wilson at the helm did not look much different than what they have had, and while the defense had its moments, Washington was seemingly in cruise control throughout its eventual 21-6 victory.
Since 2013, the Giants have started 0-2 nine times, most in the NFL. To avoid extending that streak next Sunday, they’ll have to find a way to beat the Dallas Cowboys, who have won the last 13 games in the rivalry with Dak Prescott at quarterback.
After that, the Giants will return home for consecutive games against playoff teams Kansas City and the Chargers.
Wilson completed just 17-of-37 passes for 168 yards, and seemingly whenever he was under duress, he hurriedly threw the ball way or took off on scrambles. The offensive line failed to establish much in the run game, either.
Here was our analysis throughout the day:
A crushing holding penalty on left tackle James Hudson wound up sapping any momentum the offense was building. Instead of a completion for 16 yards to Theo Johnson that would have brought possession inside the red zone, Hudson’s penalty negated the play.
The Giants wound up settling for a Graham Gano 55-yard field goal.
Abdul Carter ended the first half on a roll and he’s continued that here in the third quarter. He’s on the punt block team and nearly missed two earlier. Now he got there, partially deflecting a Tress Way punt that traveled just 31 yards.
The play came after Brian Daboll successfully challenged a completion to Zach Ertz that, on an expedited review, was ruled incomplete. The Giants are desperate for a spark on offense.
Abdul Carter showed up big for the Giants and helped keep Washington off the scoreboard at the end of the first half. First, he made an elite tackle of Jayden Daniels on a second down scramble, preventing a first down.
Then, on the next play, Carter rushed unblocked against Daniels. He showed good patience, and forced Daniels to throw the ball away into the end zone. Had Carter charged Daniels, he may have given the elusive quarterback a chance to shake him. There were no receivers in the area, so the Commanders were flagged for intentional grounding.
Because of the penalty – and the fact that Washington did not have any timeouts remaining – the Giants elected for a 10-second run off that ended the first half. The Commanders had their field goal unit on the field, but the half was over.
The Giants were teetering there at the end of the second quarter, giving up big conversions to Daniels (11-of-18, 153 yards, TD) despite recording three sacks, one for Kayvon Thibodeaux and a pair for Brian Burns.
The Giants have just 79 yards of offense and Russell Wilson is 8-of-15 passing for 58 yards. They do receive the second half kickoff after deferring at the start of the game.
Touchdown Washington. Bill Croskey Merritt runs it in, Chauncey Golston crashed down and lost contain, wide open lane to the end zone. 14-3 Commanders.
Giants need to respond here with a score before the half. They receive the second half kickoff. Need to show they can get in the end zone.
The Giants put together a good drive and got to the door step aided by a pair of Washington personal fouls, including a pivotal hands-to-the-face flag on Deatrich Wise. But Russell Wilson and Co. failed to take advantage, leading Brian Daboll to send Graham Gano out for a chip shot field goal from 21 yards out after going for it on fourth and goal from the 2 earlier in the possession.
Linebacker Micah McFadden, one of the most unsung players on the Giants’ defense, has apparently suffered a serious leg injury. He went down after making a tackle on Austin Ekeler and the medical team came off the sidelined and immediately put on a brace. McFadden had to leave the game on a cart, but not before the entire Giants sideline emptied to check on the fourth-year pro.
Darius Muasau replaced McFadden, and two plays later, Washington picked on him for a touchdown when Jayden Daniels hit tight end Zach Ertz for a 7-yard score.
That doesn’t look great for Micah McFadden. The cart is coming out. Looks like the medical staff has an air cast on his right leg. Darius Muasau in for McFadden.
Worth noting, just before Darius Alexander gets ruled a bust for being a healthy scratch today: Michael Strahan could not beat out veteran defensive ends on the Giants as a rookie and was inactive for the first five games of his NFL career. He eventually found his game.
The Giants will be without star left tackle Andrew Thomas on Sunday as expected. Thomas continues to recover from foot surgery to repair a Lisfranc fracture last October. He took his first team reps since last Friday, so the Giants are being cautious.
James Hudson will start at left tackle and rookie Marcus Mbow will back him up.
As for Evan Neal, his transition to guard has now been paused, at least on gameday. He is one of the Giants’ inactives along with Thomas, safety Beau Brade, rookies TE Thomas Fidone and DT Darius Alexander and Jameis Winston is the emergency QB3.
The Commanders’ inactives: RB Chris Rodriguez, QB Josh Johnson, LB Ale Kaho, LB Kain Medrano, OT Trent Scott, OT George Fant and DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
The four-month-long saga of how the Giants’ quarterback room was built will continue into Sunday’s season opener, but now with a twist: are Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator/play caller Mike Kafka eyeing a change-of-style in-game package for rookie Jaxson Dart?
The Giants have been steadfast behind Daboll’s declaration that Wilson is the starter, and that is not expected to change. But earlier this week, Dart was moved from QB3 to ahead of Jameis Winston at QB2 on the team’s unofficial depth chart, which is put together by the team’s PR staff in coordination with input from the coaching staff and the front office. It’s hardly in an official capacity and any moves are non-binding, but if Dart is the backup quarterback and active on game days, he can move in and out of the lineup like any other position.
Now comes the speculation: would the Giants use Dart in the game to keep the Commanders guessing? NFL Network reported early Sunday morning that the Giants do indeed have a package of plays for Dart ready for the game, which isn’t completely shocking given how well the 22-year-old played this summer in three preseason games.
But any decision to play Dart would potentially further complicate the situation, especially if a) those plays work and b) the starting offense with Wilson struggles.
Either way, the Jaxson Dart era might not solely begin with the first-round pick from Ole Miss standing on the sideline with a headset on waiting for a turn that initially was believed to be weeks away.