Matt Citak: There are a few different storylines that people will certainly be talking about as the Giants head down to West Virginia for training camp. The potential growth and development of Jaxson Dart in Year 2 will be up there, along with the health status of numerous players on both sides of the ball. But to me, the biggest storyline going into camp will be what the Giants get out of their secondary.
The Giants’ front seven has the makeup to be a dominant group, led by edge rushers Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, along with linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese. While the absence of Dexter Lawrence will certainly impact the interior defensive line, the Giants added several veterans to help fill that void, including DJ Reader and Shelby Harris. If the secondary can take a big step up, then the Giants have the potential to be one of the league’s better defenses.
Perhaps the biggest addition made on the defensive side of the ball was the addition of Dennard Wilson as the play-caller. Wilson comes to the Giants with plenty of experience under his belt, including two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Titans. Prior to that role, he served several seasons as a defensive backs coach, including during the 2023 campaign where he coached under John Harbaugh in Baltimore. The Ravens had one of the NFL’s top pass defenses that season, ranking inside the top six in passing yards, touchdowns, and yards per attempt allowed, along with ranking third in interceptions. While it was only a few weeks of spring practices, Wilson has seemingly already made an impact on the secondary, as the group was likely the most impressive unit during team drills over the past month. But don’t take it from me – here’s what Kayvon Thibodeaux had to say a few weeks back.
“Dennard Wilson is a great coach,” the outside linebacker said during OTAs. “I asked him today does he think he’s the best DB coach in the league? Of course, he said yeah. Of course he’s going to. For me, I didn’t ask him that because I didn’t think it. I asked him that because our DBs have been playing at a high level. I saw this same defense before. So now seeing these guys play at a pace that is unbelievable, it’s no question of how great of a coach he is.”