Phase Three of the Giants’ Offseason Workout Program is right around the corner as Organized Team Activities (OTAs) kick off Tuesday.
The active roster will be able to participate in team drills, pinning the offense and defense against each other for the first time this offseason. Contact is not allowed during OTAs, which makes it tough to decipher how the offensive and defensive linemen are performing. But it does serve as a good opportunity for pass-catchers and defensive backs to show what they can do.
The 10 OTAs over the next three weeks will be followed by minicamp. The team will then break for the summer before reporting back for the start of training camp towards the end of July.
With all that said, here are players to watch during OTAs.
This will be the first time we get to watch Wilson participate in team drills and dish out a moonball or two. Having Wilson under center should help elevate the floor of the offense, and next week’s OTA practices are the first time we get to see it in person. The same goes for former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston.
Wilson may take the first snaps under center, but of course, everyone will be watching the rookie quarterback in his first practice with his new teammates. Dart was the only draft pick to participate in 7-on-7 drills during rookie minicamp, and the 22-year-old looked sharp in those limited opportunities. But next week he will be throwing against experienced NFL veterans, which should offer a much bigger test than what he faced at rookie camp. He may not get many, if any, reps with the starting wide receivers this spring. Nonetheless, all eyes will be on the rookie during OTAs.
As I wrote about in this week’s Fact or Fiction, Hyatt is the player that likely has the most to gain during these spring practices. After a rookie season that saw him flash some of what made him the 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner, Hyatt didn’t do much last year as he finished with only eight receptions. As we know, one of Hyatt’s biggest strengths is his ability to stretch the defense. He now has a quarterback that is known for his accuracy on passes downfield. Hyatt could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Wilson’s famous moonball, which could be on full display as early as next week.
After a bit of a slow start to his rookie campaign, Johnson started to pick things up around the midpoint of the season. Over his final five games, the rookie tight end finished with at least three receptions every week with no less than 35 yards in each contest, including two games with 50+ yards. He suffered a foot injury in Week 13 against the Cowboys, forcing him to miss the rest of the season, but the young tight end appears to be healthy and ready to go for spring practices.
“I’m doing really good right now, getting better every day,” Johnson said last month at the beginning of the offseason workout program. “I like where I’m at right now. Yeah, I’m feeling good, really good right now.”