New York Giants Training Camp Preview: Wide Receiver

As the month of July nears a close, that means one thing in the NFL; the beginning of training camps. For a team like the New York Giants, it will be another important training camp. Last season it was the offense receiving an overhaul, this time it will be the defense. They brought back a familiar face in Steve Spagnuolo to be the defensive coordinator, replacing Perry Fewell. Also, there are still some kinks to be worked out offensively, as second year offensive coordinator had a good rookie campaign last season in which he will look to build upon.

This could be a make or break season for the Giants from a franchise era standpoint. If they miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, we could see a real overhaul not only on the roster, but coaching staff as well. Tom Coughlin has overseen two Super Bowl titles as his time as head coach with the Giants, but very little success outside of that, missing the playoffs six times and being one and done in the playoffs the other four times they made the postseason.

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Could the Giants break their streak of missing the playoffs, and continue their trend of winning the Super Bowl every four seasons? Training camp will give a lot of insight to where the Giants are at, as there are plenty of questions to be answered once the Giants open camp July 29th. We will have you covered on the storylines to follow here at Empire Writes Back, giving a position by position preview heading up to that date. The third position we will take a look at will be tight end.

Depth Chart:

Starters: Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle
Slot: Victor Cruz (When Healthy)
Backups: Dwayne Harris, Geremy Davis, Corey Washington
Potential Cuts: Preston Parker, Julian Talley, Juron Criner

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The Giants and their fans are extremely excited about the potential for their receiving core. The key to it reaching the apex of their abilities is the health of Victor Cruz. But even if he comes along a little slower than expected, the Giants receiving core is in good hands with Odell Beckham Jr. leading the way.

Beckham Jr. exploded onto the scene last season as a rookie, setting numerous records despite missing essentially all of the offseason programs and the first four weeks of the season. That didn’t slow him down though, as he quickly built up chemistry with Eli Manning, leading to one of the best seasons statistically in Manning’s career. This season should be more of the same, and it will be interesting to see what kind of stats Beckham Jr. can put up in a 16-game season.

Cruz is recovering from patellar tendon injury he suffered in Week 6 last season. He has been very positive about his recovery, as Prince Amukamara also spoke highly about him this week. If he is able to come close to what he was prior to the injury, the Giants have arguably the best wide receiver trio in the NFL. People sleep on Rueben Randle, but he has made progress each season he has been with the Giants.

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Last season, Randle set career highs in receptions and yards as the No.2 option for Manning. He could surpass those numbers this season if he continues growing as a player as the Giants are clearly a pass first team now. He will also benefit from softer coverage as teams will try to not get beat by Beckham Jr. on the opposite side or Cruz in the slot.

If Cruz is unable to go early in the season, expect slot duties to fall to Dwayne Harris or Preston Parker. Cruz coming along slowly is the best chance Parker has at making the final 53-man roster, as he played admirably last season for the Giants in the slot. Harris is a player that was seldomly used on offense when he was with the Dallas Cowboys, instead being a special teams ace as a return man and gunner.

Jun 16, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris (17) runs a route during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

But, the Giants seem to have plans to work him into the offense more for the first time in his career. The same abilities he uses returning kicks and punts the Giants could put to use by putting him into space with screens or shorter patterns.

Corey Washington was the star of the summer in 2014 for the Giants, but he is facing an uphill battle to make the roster this season. He needs to not only show improvement as a receiver, but he needs to begin helping in special teams as well. Since he is not much of a special teams player, Tom Coughlin did not dress him for most games. His size makes him an intriguing candidate on the outside, but he needs to get things together in other areas to make the roster.

That is where the competition will be for the Giants in this unit. If Cruz looks healthy, Washington, Parker, Julian Talley and the rookie Geremy Davis fighting for at most two spots. Davis is probably safe because of his contributions on special teams, kind of in the mold of Domenik Hixon or David Tyree. One of the other three will have to stand out to make the final roster as the only real reason the Giants would keep an extra receiver is if Cruz experiences a setback with his rehab.

Next: 5 Reasons Why The Giants Could Miss The Playoffs

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