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Giants' Nabers Not Surprised By Jaguars Rookie Thomas' Success
By Anthony Licciardi,
5 hours ago
AUG 16 – LSU LOYALTY – The Louisiana State Tigers had no shortage of NFL talent this past offseason, sending three of its superstars to the first round of the NFL Draft.
Two of them – New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels – landed in the NFC East, writing storylines by themselves. The third, receiver Brian Thomas Jr., was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Under an aggregator account saying that Thomas has been “unguardable” at camp, Nabers took to Twitter to comment on his former teammate.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) talks during the second day of a mandatory minicamp Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.
Corey Perrine&solFlorida Times-Union &sol USA TODAY NETWORK
Thomas posted 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns for an LSU offense that set the college football world on fire in 2023. His efforts helped Nabers generate 1,569 yards and 14 scores and catapulted Daniels to new heights. The quarterback would win the Heisman before being taken with the No. 2 pick.
AUG 15 – SIMMONS ON THE SCHEDULE – The New York Giants watched one of their 2024 opponents make a significant addition in the late stages of the summer.
On Thursday, the Atlanta Falcons signed veteran safety Justin Simmons to a one-year deal worth $8 million, with $7.5 million in guarantees, per Ian Rapoport .
Alongside safety Jessie Bates III, Simmons helps give Atlanta one of the best safety duos in the sport, a bow on an otherwise questionable defense. The safety market quickly dried up this spring, leaving Simmons in search for a one-year deal with a contender.
New York was labeled a fit for Simmons at different points throughout the offseason, but taking away playing time from Tyler Nubin and Jason Pinnock always made that a pipe dream. New York’s muted expectations for the coming year didn’t make a pairing any more likely, either.
The Falcons will host the Giants in Week 16, making life more difficult for quarterback Daniel Jones and a receiving corps that hopes to be more explosive than ever before in the Jones era. Of course, that far into the season, it may not even be Jones under center.
AUG 14 – ADDISON’S ANKLE – The New York Giants will host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, but they’ll do so against Sam Darnold after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus and underwent season-ending surgery.
On Wednesday, the Vikings suffered another injury scare when former first-round receiver Jordan Addison – the Robin to Justin Jefferson’s Batman – was carted off with a leg injury.
Fortunately, further damage was averted. Addison’s injury, revealed to be an ankle ailment, isn’t believed to be serious, per Matthew Coller .
“I think he’s going to be OK,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said after practice.
Assuming Addison is ready for Week 1, as he’s expected to, New York’s secondary will have a daunting challenge ahead of it – even against a backup quarterback.
AUG 13 – HAYES’ NEW HOME – Summertime in the NFL is one of unlimited optimism, but it’s also one of change, goodbyes, and flurries of minor transactions.
The New York Giants have played no small part in filling the transaction log. On Sunday, the New York Giants waived him in a corresponding move for signing linebacker K.J. Cloyd.
On Monday, Hayes found his new home – the Denver Broncos.
Hayes was an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft but spent the season on New York’s practice squad.
Hayes will attempt to make the Broncos roster on the backs of his elite athleticism. With a 4.33-second 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical, there’s some upside to tap into if he can carve out a spot on Denver’s roster or practice squad.
AUG 11 – DANIELS DAZZLES – The New York Giants didn’t get to see receiver Malik Nabers show out in his preseason debut. On Thursday night, he went without a target before being pulled with other starters. It wasn’t necessarily his fault, but it was underwhelming from an entertainment standpoint nonetheless.
He won’t be the only high-profile rookie in the NFC East this year.
On Saturday, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels made his professional debut against the New York Jets. In doing so, he gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come.
Daniels played just a single drive, but it wasn’t without its highlights. Daniels’ first pass sailed over the head of running back Austin Ekeler. On the next play, he targeted receiver Dyami Brown 42 yards downfield and dropped it in the bucket for a stellar deep completion.
After another short completion and a handful of runs, Daniels ended his only drive with a read option out of pistol. The result? A walk-in touchdown.
If Daniels lives up to his potential, Washington won’t be the pushover it has been in recent years. Even if he doesn’t pan out, his proclivity for creative plays means he can cause problems on any given play.
AUG 10 – COWBOYS TRADE CORNER – While the New York Giants scour the market for free agents in the wake of quarterback Drew Lock’s injury, their rivals are browsing the trade block.
No, Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t been traded just yet, but cornerback Nahshon Wright has.
On Friday, the Dallas Cowboys traded Wright, a fourth-year defensive back, for former second-round pick and Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr.
Neither projected to see much playing time in their respective situations, but the Cowboys hope Booth’s pedigree – a Clemson product and top-10 pick – thrives in a secondary that has had no shortage of developmental successes in recent years.
It’s possible Booth gets tested inside (he played just nine snaps there compared to Wright’s zero), but he isn’t yet a threat Giants fans have to be worried about.
AUG 9 – GOLDEN GONE – The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran edge rusher Markus Golden during training camp, hoping to add some potency to the unit's depth.
While he figured to compete for a roster spot, having been serviceable on last year’s squad, he has decided to retire. On Friday, the Steelers placed him on the Reserve/Retired List .
Golden, a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, had bounced between the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants for the first eight years of his career, logging three double-digit-sack seasons (2016, 2019, and 2021).
The Giants didn’t have Golden for long – 2019 and half of 2020 – but he made an impact in New York. In 2019, he gave the Giants their first 10-sack season from a linebacker since Lawrence Taylor.
Across 1.5 seasons, Golden found 11.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 33 quarterback hits during his New York tenure.
AUG 8 – JACKSON SIGNS WITH JETS – Veteran running back Deon Jackson spent a single game with the New York Giants in 2023.
On Wednesday, he officially became a member of the city-wide rivalry.
In signing with the New York Jets , Jackson will compete for a spot on the running back depth chart, and potentially a kick returner role, as well.
After rushing 68 times for 236 yards and a score in 2022 with the Indianapolis Colts, he’s bounced around a bit. He spent time with the Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Giants in 2023, however he averaged just 1.1 yards per attempt on 13 carries.
With New York, he had a single carry for two yards, along with nine uneventful special teams snaps.
AUG 7 – OUT ON AIYUK – New York Giants fans can breathe a temporary sigh of relief.
As San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk held out for a lucrative contract extension, his trade market expanded and included several teams. The two favorites, initially, were largely expected to be the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders.
According to Matt Maiocco , the Commanders have taken themselves out of the Aiyuk sweepstakes.
Aiyuk is likely AFC-bound, if he does ultimately leave San Francisco. While the Giants do play the Steelers in Week 8, the idea of facing one of the league’s best pure separators twice each season is nightmare fuel, especially given New York’s inexperienced secondary.
Whether Aiyuk will compete for a Super Bowl in the Bay Area or cash out in the AFC is yet to be seen. However, a deal likely isn’t completed without an extension, taking him out of the Giants’ 2025 plans in free agency.
AUG 6 – BREIDA BACK IN THE BAY – Training camp’s arrival generally means the last of the notable free agents have found homes, the biggest trades of the offseason have been completed, and teams know what they have to work with ahead of the new year.
Still, some roster churning makes its way to August – some of which could have an impact on Sundays.
One such case may be the San Francisco 49ers bringing running back Matt Breida back home. Breida signed there on Monday, per Jeremy Fowler .
The former New York Giants running back spent the first three years of his career in San Francisco before spending a season each with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
After two years with the Giants, logging 371 total rushing yards, he’ll look to bring his speed back to the Bay in a depth role.
AUG 4 – COUGHLIN COACHING – Former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin’s days as the lead man for an organization are certainly over, but that doesn’t mean he can’t lend a helping hand once in a while.
The only problem? To the ire of the New York faithful, he’s not helping the team he won two Super Bowls with.
Coughlin was seen helping Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce earlier this week, per Vegas Sports Today .
He and former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis went over the practice script with Pierce, who has searched for NFL experience ahead of his first full season. In January, it was announced that Coughlin would be a special adviser to Pierce, who played linebacker for Coughlin from 2005-2009.
Pierce was the interim head coach last season before ultimately landing the job after a series of interviews with high-profile candidates failed to inspire as much optimism as Pierce’s hold on the locker room had in the prior months.
AUG 3 – NFC EAST OFFENSIVE LINES – By this point, New York Giants fans have learned not to expect much from their offensive line. Year after year, quarterbacks and running games have been held back by inadequate protection and defensive linemen perpetually in the backfield.
Thus, it was no surprise when The 33rd Team ranked the Giants as the worst offensive line in football.
The best offensive line in the division, far and away, is the Philadelphia Eagles, who ranked second in this exercise.
“The Philadelphia Eagles have three elite players in Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, and Jordan Mailata,” Ross Tucker wrote. “Cam Jurgens should be above average in his first year starting in place of Jason Kelce, but right guard is a question mark.”
For the first time in a while, though, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t right on their tail. The era of Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, and Tyron Smith has long been over, but the left tackle departed for greener pastures this offseason, leaving just Martin and guard Tyler Smith as standouts up front. The Cowboys ranked 19th.
Where the New York faithful may have some debate is with the Washington Commanders. At 27th, there’s reason to believe the Giants, after signing Greg Van Roten and presumably demoting Evan Neal, can compete with them and be a below-average unit, rather than one of the worst in the league.
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