Giants big picture goals for training camp in critical Year 3 for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll

Position battles will begin soon in East Rutherford, N.J., on the Giants ’ practice fields across the parking lot from MetLife Stadium.

All players report on Tuesday, and the first open practice is Wednesday.

But GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll also need to monitor and fulfill bigger picture goals during the next month to be adequately prepared for the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.

Here is a checklist for ways the Giants can try to get to Week 1 in better shape than they did last year, when they were blanked 40-0 at home by the Dallas Cowboys.

LET MERIT REIGN

The best players should play. Don’t force a draft pick into a role that he isn’t earning on the field. Don’t play a quarterback over another only because he gets paid more. Don’t play a slot corner on the outside if he can help the team more inside. This is advice for all 32 NFL teams, not just the Giants: you can’t fool the locker room. The players know who is outplaying whom, who deserves more playing time, who gives the team the best chance to win, who is only on the field because a GM or coach wants him there, and who is being treated unfairly. It’s important to try to create continuity among a team’s starters early, too. But a team can’t ignore when a player’s performance is changing the personnel or roster plan for the better.

FORM THE FRONT FIVE EARLY

Schoen, Daboll and new offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo need to set their best five offensive linemen early and play them together a lot this summer to prepare them for the real thing. They still have to let players compete, as noted above. But this group also needs continuity and reps together. Center John Michael Schmitz needs to feel comfortable and familiar with his guards on either side. At one point in last year’s camp, Schoen and Daboll were rotating guards Mark Glowinski, Ben Bredeson and Josh Ezeudu between the two starting guard spots every single practice snap. That was an absolute disaster. This year, the main question about the line heading into camp is the health and status of right tackle Evan Neal. If he’s ready, the plan should be close to set from the beginning with left tackle Andrew Thomas, left guard Jermaine Eluemunor, Schmitz, right guard Jon Runyan Jr. and Neal.

STAY HEALTHY

The Giants annually struggle to keep players healthy. In 2022 almost their entire rookie class sustained significant injuries. Last year, Schoen, Daboll and the training staff gave a lot of players off days and rest days to try to get them to Week 1 in one piece, and they lightened the practice load, and it backfired spectacularly. Many players weren’t ready to play a regular season game, and others’ bodies broke down in the early weeks, putting the team behind the eight-ball on its way to a 1-5 start. The Giants need to change their approach. They need to practice actual football frequently during the summer to be prepared to play hard-nosed football in the fall. The team needs to pay attention to players’ bodies and workloads, obviously, but this is no time to dial anything back. A team can be both tough and smart about how it prepares. The Giants need to find a solution here.

STAND THEIR GROUND

The Giants were the clearly inferior team on the field last year when they faced the Detroit Lions at joint practices in Michigan. For the Giants’ own confidence, they need to hold their own this August when they host the Lions for joint practices on Aug. 5-6. They need to acquit themselves against a talented Jets team on Aug. 21 during a scheduled joint practice in Florham Park. And they should treat all three of their three preseason games, including their middle contest at the Houston Texans, as dress rehearsals for what is expected in the fall. If they wait until Week 1 against Minnesota to put together their real plan and approach, it will be too late.

TARGET NEEDS IN FREE AGENCY

Schoen is always monitoring ways to supplement his roster during August and after cutdown day on the waiver wire, and this year should be no different. The Giants look like a team that needs No. 2 corner help, though it could be tough to attract a player of Stephon Gilmore’s caliber to a team that isn’t a contender. Veteran safety Justin Simmons is an intriguing free agent. Former Giants offensive tackle Tyre Phillips, recovering well from last season’s torn quad, is still available. He is training in Dallas with five-time Pro Bowler Andre Gurode and is expected to be full-go in mid-August. And the Philadelphia Eagles are worth monitoring on cut-down day given their loaded stable of offensive linemen that won’t be able to fit everyone. Those are just some examples of how Schoen can continue to explore upgrades, albeit with minimal salary cap space at $11.7 million per the NFL Players’ Association’s official database.