The NY Giants open OTA workouts with numerous questions and with Will Beatty injured, it's likely that Ereck Flowers and Justin Pugh will be starters on the offensive line and this comes as Landon Collins and Mykkele Thompson will be pushing for playing time heading into camp and a big issue is whether Jason Pierre-Paul will show up, as JPP has not yet signed his franchise tender contract.
The Giants are set to start workouts on Wednesday for OTAs and heading into camp, the team is hoping that rookies like Flowers and Landon Collins can step up and contribute. Flowers was drafted in the first round with a top 10 pick and while the Giants see him as a tackle, they may not be ready to start him, but now they may not have a choice. According to Dan Graziano at ESPN, with Will Beatty out for at least six months, Flowers will get a full chance to start this season.
The plan likely was to have Justin Pugh move inside where he is more comfortable, but now the team likely will have to shift things. Flowers and Pugh could end up in the tackle positions on either side and there is a chance the team could go after a free agent, but it's a bit late in the game for that. Flowers is 21-years-old and has very good size, but he may need time to adjust to the NFL and that could be an issue for the Giants. Graziano reports that flowers started OTAs at left tackle.
The team was better last season, but over the past few years Eli Manning has been harassed behind the offensive line and that needs to get stabilized. Graziano writes that OTA workouts will dictate how the Giants will tackle this situation and there is a chance things could change heading into training camp later in the summer. Flowers has the potential to be a strong starter for the Giants, but he likely will go through some growing pains. Victor Cruz is also coming back from injury and he is expecting be ready for the start of the season on offense with Odell Beckham.
Landon Collins comes in as a second round pick and the Giants traded up to get him at safety out of Alabama. Safety was one of the biggest needs for the Giants and now Collins looks like he will get the chance to start right away. Collins was impressive in rookie camp and he is already the most talented safety on the roster. Collins has been called a box safety by some scouts, but he said he can handle all the assignments in the secondary that the Giants need him to do. Collins likely will be penciled in as a starter in the secondary for the Giants.
JPP and his presence will be a story for OTAs, as he has been hit with the franchise tag and his not signed his $14.813 million tender yet. The two sides may work out a deal still, but Pierre-Paul has not yet been in any workouts with the team and he could be out for the OTAs, which are voluntary. The team has mandatory minicamp coming up and training camp after that and the two sides have until mid-July to work out a deal. JPP had a bounce back season last year and the Giants want to keep him.