There’s no hiding the potential of New York Giants WR Malik Nabers, and maybe that has quarterback Daniel Jones stoked up enough to get into a mini-brawl in camp. But it’s not fun and games for a pair of Giants players struggling during NFL training camp.
Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie is fighting to stay off the roster bubble while running back Eric Gray is looking for stability as well.
Giants WR Isaiah McKenzie trying to make it work
A seven-year veteran, McKenzie came into the league with the Broncos. But he spent most of his career with the Bills before playing 13 games with the Colts in 2023. Meanwhile, Gray carried 17 times during his rookie season last year.
McKenzie currently finds himself on the fringe of the second team. The Giants appear to be strong on the front end with Darius Slayton leading the way, followed by Jalin Hyatt, and Nabers. However, it may not be long before Nabers flips that order.
With Wan’Dale Robinson and Isaiah Hodgins holding down the top backup spots, McKenzie is trying to hold off Gunner Olszewski for the backup slot role. And McKenzie may not have a leg up on Olszewski because of the latter’s strong special teams abilities.
One thing that could help McKenzie’s cause is his connection with Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll, who came over from the Bills. The connection matters, Daboll told giants.com.
“I have a very good relationship with Isaiah, I'd say both on and off the field,” Daboll said. “That's important. But the most important thing is we think he can play. He's right in the mix. He's competing. He understands that. He's been nothing but a good teammate, and I'm glad he's here.”
Daboll also said he likes McKenzie’s energy.
“He is an energy guy,” Daboll said. “He's an energy guy in the classroom, and he's a very good teammate. He knows how we want to play. He can play fast because he knows the system pretty well.”
And Daboll said McKenzie isn’t out of the special teams picture.
“He's going to have an opportunity to return punts, and that's going to be an important evaluation process for him,” Daboll said. “But he's been a good addition to that room and to the punt return room, so there will be some competition with (wide receiver) Gunner Olszewski. We'll see how that competition unfolds.”
Gray still has an open door to make roster
Currently sitting as a third-team member of the running back room, Gray needs to hold off Dante Miller, who came in as an undrafted free agent but looks impressive. There’s no comfort zone as rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. seems to have the best bet to land as the backup to starter Devin Singletary.
One thing that hurts the 5-foot-11, 211-pound Gray is pass protection difficulties. That’s especially notable because of Daboll’s comments to bigblueview.com.
“Playing the running back position at the highest level you can and everything that goes along with it, protection, runs, routes, everything that goes into being a capable running back in this league,” Daboll said.
Gray needs to show he can step up in the area of pass protection during the preseason games. He lost his role as the Giants’ primary return man last year because of fumbles.
“I think last year I had to get to myself where I was like it’s just football at the end of the day,” Gray said. “Whether it’s punt return, whether it’s kick return, whether it’s offense, whatever it is, it’s just football at the end of the day. So this year I’ve kind of been focusing on just being Eric Gray. Being Eric Gray and focusing on football is the same thing I’ve been doing since I was four years old.”
In other words, Gray said, he needs to believe he belongs at the NFL level.
“You put a helmet on, shoulder pads It’s the same as that game,” Gray said. “The athletes are a little faster. Maybe a little bit more technically sound. But at the end of the day, it’s football. If you know how to play it, then you’ll play at a high level.”
What does Giants RB room look like?
The Giants aren’t exactly loaded at the running back position. Singletary never posted even a 900-yard season in each of any of his five years in the league. Part of the issue has been volume as last year’s 216 carries proved to be his highest NFL total. Also, Singletary isn’t exactly a touchdown machine with 20 scores in his career. He’s a moderately good pass catcher, totaling between 29 and 40 catches in his career.
As for Tracy, he only managed a fifth-round selection. Part of the reason for the low pick may have come because Tracy is a converted wide receiver. Tracy is a hard-to-tackle runner, who understands the need to fight for every yard.
“Whether it’s two yards, three yards, every play ain’t going to be a touchdown,” Tracy said. “But the biggest part is just making sure that you’re executing the play at a high level. You don’t know when you’re going to get the ball. You don’t know if the ball is coming to you or not. So if it’s not coming to you, okay, go block somebody, but if it is coming to you, get it, make a play. If it’s a 10-yard gain, great, but if it’s a two-yard gain, get those two yards and then live on to the next play.”
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