Decisions Looming for Injured, Defense Has a Day and More from New York Giants Practice

There are just eight more days before teams need to cut their training camp down to 53, a period that includes several more practices and one more preseason game.

So the last thing any player, especially those whose hold on a roster spot is far from being secure, needs is to have to miss time due to injury.

Let's run down the current list of players who, as of Monday, weren't able to practice and gauge where they might stand as far as a roster spot goes.

OL Tyre Phillips (leg): Phillips suffered a left leg injury in the first of the two joint practices against the Lions and hasn't been heard from since. Before the injury, he looked like the leading contender to become the team's swing tackle. And that's not all. Phillips, who played guard as a member of the Ravens (the team that drafted him), got some snaps for the Giants at guard for a few practices, looking right at home.

With the Giants' swing tackle position still seemingly wide open, if he can get back to practice soon and pick up where he left off, Phillips would be the name to watch ahead of Matt Peart and Korey Cunningham.

OL Jack Anderson: Anderson got some second-half snaps on Friday night, but after a play, he hobbled off the field with a leg injury. Aderson has been competing for a backup job on the offensive line, where he can play guard and center.

Before his injury, Anderson appeared to be sliding down the depth chart, with John Michael Schmitz all but clinching the starting center job and Ben Bredeson getting a fair amount of snaps there as a potential backup. Meanwhile, at guard, Mark Glowinski looks like he'll start the year at right guard while Bredeson and Joshua Ezeudu continue to slug it out for the left guard spot.

WR Cole Beasley: Beasley has missed a few practices this summer with lower body injuries. Beasley, remember, came out of retirement to join the Giants this summer.

While there is a popular belief that he would have made the roster regardless, given his prior experience playing in Brian Daboll's system in Buffalo, this isn't a situation like last year where the system is so brand new that it benefits from having guys with prior experience playing in it to help serve as locker room coaches.

Beasley, when he's been able to be on the field, has looked serviceable, but it's hard to envision the Giants keeping both Beasley and Sterling Shepard at the expense of perhaps an up-and-coming younger receiver.

RB Gary Brightwell (lower body): When Brightwell was drafted, it was primarily for special teams. Unfortunately, he not only appears to have lost his role as a kickoff returner to Eric Gray but he could be edged off the roster by second-year man Jashaun Corbin, who has quietly had a solid camp. Brightwell can play on all the special teams units, but so can Corbin. And Corbin has been available to give the team some quality snaps, something Brightwell can't, unfortunately, claim to be able to do.

If Brightwell isn't healthy and ready to go by the cut-down date, the Giants would have to waive him as injured so that his rights would revert to injured reserve if he goes unclaimed. They could also carry him on the initial 53-man roster at the expense of Corbin to add him to injured reserve to be brought back after four weeks, but then they risk losing Corbin, who has had a solid summer.

TE Tommy Sweeney (unknown): Sweeney always seemed destined as the fourth tight end on the depth chart, behind Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger, and Lawerence Cager, and to the outside observer, nothing seemed to change there. The belief was that maybe the Giants would look to slide him onto the practice squad, but his injury, the severity of which isn't known, could complicate things.

LB Cam Brown (unknown): The nature of Brown's injury isn't known, but his chances of making the roster this year were slim. Although he was a special teams captain last year, Brown didn't make a lot of impact plays during the regular season.

Although he's listed as a linebacker where so far this summer, he's played in 23 snaps over two games, he's only produced two tackles (one stop), and has allowed all three of the pass targets against him to be completed.

Brown, who last year recorded six tackles on special teams (three solo), doesn't give the Giants snaps at linebacker--of his 109 regular-season snaps, he only played three on defense last year--so it might be hard justifying a place for him on the roster.

DL Ryder Anderson (triceps): The coaching staff seems to like Anderson, but a triceps injury has shelved him for most of the preseason. Head coach Brian Daboll said that Anderson's injury wasn't long-term after the defender was injured but that it would be a while before he'd be ready to return.

It will be curious to see if the team puts Anderson on the initial 53-man roster only to move him to injured reserve or if they feel comfortable enough with rookie Jordon Riley taking that last spot behind Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and A'Shawn Robinson.

DB Nick McCloud (unknown): McCloud has been sidelined for a few weeks with an undisclosed ailment. The Giants had been cross-training him to play at safety, hoping he'd develop into a swing defensive back who could play both safety and cornerback. That, of course, has been on hold while McCloud recovers from his ailment.

S Jason Pinnock (leg): Pinnock's injury is new, but the good news, according to head coach Brian Daboll, is that the team's projected starting free safety's ailment is a day-to-day ailment rather than something of the more concerning long-term variety.

CB Cor’Dale Flott (unknown): Flott has twice had injuries following a preseason game. He suffered an abdominal issue against the Lions which did not cost him any practice time. Now here he is again with an ailment, though it's unknown if it's the same injury as before. An ongoing concern with Flott is his durability. Although he added bulk in the off-season, questions remain about whether he is sturdy enough to hold up on the outside.

Practice Takeaways

The Giants were in shorts and shells Monday. They will practice in pads on Tuesday.

Mark Glowinski took some snaps at left guard for the first time since 2017 when he was with the Seahawks. The Giants are either continuing their quest to find the right rotation, or they're very cleverly giving guys snaps at different positions to improve the depth in the event of an injury.

Not a good showing for the starting offensive line. Evan Neal, working at right tackle, and Ben Bredeson at right guard, gave up a sack off a stunt to Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who ended up gassed by the end of practice, was spotted leaving early after being busy in the team drills, which included him logging back-to-back sacks. Xavier McKinney picked off a Hail Mary, and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari recorded a sack.

There were a few positives for the offense, though. Tyrod Taylor connected with Sterling Shepard on a touchdown and later hit receiver Collin Johnson, who returned to practice. Tommy DeVito continued his impressive camp by hitting David Sills V deep.

Tre Hawkins continued his fine summer, coming up with an interception and breaking up a pass intended for Isaiah Hodgins.

DB Darren Evans walked off the field with trainers.

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