Biggest takeaways from Giants' joint training camp practices with Lions

The New York Giants fought their way through a pair of high intensity joint training camp practices with the Detroit Lions this week.

Literally, the Giants and Lions could keep from scrapping to the point where Tuesday's joint practice had to end early because the focus became more on fighting than it did the actual play.

It's expected that teams will get into during joint practices. Tensions are high due to the competition, and this is the first time each team is facing off against an actual opponent rather than their teammates.

It's unclear whether the starters will play in the preseason opener Thursday night considering these two joint practices essentially served as a scrimmage themselves.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the two joint practices between the Giants and Lions

Takeaways from Giants joint practices with Lions

Two days of fighting

Seriously, these two teams did not like each other throughout either practice Monday or Tuesday. It started with a massive brawl Monday following an Amon-Ra St. Brown reception. Shortly after that, Daniel Jones found himself in the middle of the scrum standing up for his teammates.

On Tuesday, the fireworks flew when rookie sensation Malik Nabers and Lions safety Kerby Joseph traded haymakers after a play in the end zone.

Entering Tuesday's practice, head coach Brian Daboll shed some light on the fights and whether they were a distraction.

"It was competitive on both sides. (We) talked about cleaning a few things up that led to some of those things. We'll try to do a better job today, but both sides were competitive, got a lot out of it," Daboll said.

A lot of the fighting that occurred wouldn't happen in a game setting because players would be ejected, but both sides should a lot of pride during each session.

No stopping Malik Nabers

The Lions had no answer for the star rookie receiver. Though Nabers showed off his hands in a fight Tuesday, he also proved he's going to be a star receiver in this league. There wasn't much the Lions could do to stop him.

According to Connor Hughes of SNY , Nabers was targeted 17 times between both practices. He reeled in 16 receptions, two of which went for 20-yard touchdowns. Meanwhile, Dan Duggan of The Athletic stated that the Giants offense "otherwise looked disjointed when the ball was not thrown to the explosive first-round pick."

It will be interesting to see if Nabers plays in the preseason opener considering his utter dominance in the practices.

Daniel Jones continues up-and-down camp

It seemed that when Jones was targeting Nabers, the offense was thriving against the Lions defense. But the offense seemed to stall when Jones looked elsewhere. He nearly threw an interception Tuesday on a check down that went directly to a Lions defensive tackle.

While Nabers was heavily targeted, Jones also looked the way of slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson often. According to Duggan, Robinson hauled in three receptions Tuesday during the 11-on-11 drills.

It seemed Jones was still under a great deal of pressure, taking what would have been four sacks during Tuesday's practice.

Offensive line shows promise?

While the team periods showed an up-and-down performance from the offensive line, the 1-on-1 drills offered much more promise. Left tackle Andrew Thomas was a massive wall, constantly winning his matchups against some of the best pass rushers in the game.

Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor also showed some stout protection in 1-on-1 drills against the likes of Aidan Hutchinson. Veteran Greg Van Roten put on a solid show working from the center position with John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) missing his eighth practice.

Working together as a unit will be vital, but it's promising that the Giants showed some fight in 1-on-1s. The starting unit included LT Thomas, LG Jon Runyan, C Van Roten, RG Aaron Stinnie and RT Eluemunor.

Cor'Dale Flott has competition

Throughout training camp, the No. 2 cornerback role on the boundary opposite Deonte Banks has belonged to Flott. However, his struggles have led to the Giants giving Nick McCloud some reps on the outside as well.

Tuesday was the first time Flott shared starting reps with another defender. McCloud started camp running as the starting nickel but has since given way to rookie Dru Phillips. Now, it seems McCloud is competing for a starting role on the boundary.

Quick notes

Brian Burns was a steady force during both practices, proving the Giants have a high-ceiling pass-rusher opposite Kayvon Thibodeaux .

Linebackers Dyontae Johnson and Darius Muasau each got some first-team reps during 7-on-7 periods in Tuesday's practice.

Drew Lock had a strong day Tuesday, completing 8-of-9 passes in what was arguably his best day of training camp.

Allen Robinson is the top target for Lock, reeling in six passes throughout the two joint practices.

Injury report

PUP list: RT Evan Neal (ankle)

NFI list : S Jalen Mills (calf)

Did not practice: C John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), TE Lawrence Cager (hamstring), TE Jack Stoll (concussion), OLB Tomon Fox (hamstring), LB Carter Coughlin (lower body)

Edge rusher Boogie Basham was carted off the field due to heat-related issues during Tuesday's practice.

What's next?

The Giants have Wednesday off as they prepare for the preseason opener Thursday night against the Lions at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.

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