4. Chatman is “explosive and responsive”
One of the most exciting position battles on the Giants’ roster this summer has been on the defensive line. Although two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence will obviously start, it remains to be seen who will be next to him and who will support him in the rankings. Although Elijah Chatman joined the team as an undrafted free agent after a tryout in rookie minicamp, he has entered the conversation for a spot on the roster after a strong start to training camp.
Chatman is not your typical defensive tackle. The 23-year-old lineman is 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, which is obviously smaller than the average tackle in the NFL. But don’t let his size fool you. Chatman, who earned the nickname “Baby Bison” at SMU, has shown flashes in recent weeks, including posting a team-high five total pressures last Thursday against the Lions.
“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” Daboll said Monday morning. “He’s smaller, but he’s got long arms. He’s explosive and quick to react, maybe a little different than some of the bigger guys. I think he’s developed since he’s been here. He’s had that tryout. I wouldn’t say that’s unusual, but it’s hard. So he’s earned more playing time. We’re going to give it to him and try to put him against as good opponents as possible so we can get a good evaluation. Give him some time against the first team, whether it’s our team or Houston’s team, so we can get a fair evaluation of him.”
5. Further injuries and squad updates
Although Malik Nabers was injured during practice on Sunday, he was not the only player from the 2024 draft class who was unable to complete the workout. Third-round pick Dru Phillips suffered an ankle injury, which forced the rookie cornerback to sit out practice on Monday.
“He had some soreness in practice yesterday, so we took him back a little bit to give him a day here,” Daboll said. “He just had some tightness in practice, so we took him back.”
Although Schmitz and Neal have been on the practice field for the last two practices, they have not yet participated in team drills. Both players still need to prepare before taking the field in a game situation, making their availability for Saturday’s game in Houston somewhat uncertain.
“We’ll see. I would say it’s unlikely,” the head coach said of the two young linemen competing this weekend. “We’ll do one more individual practice with the pads today and then we’ll see how they did and things like that. I would say it’s unlikely. I wouldn’t rule them out, but I wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent certain either.”
The Giants have also made some roster changes in the last 24 hours. Running back Jacob Saylors was released on Sunday night and replaced by running back Lorenzo Lingard the next morning.
Lingard spent the offseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released last week. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound running back played 52 college games in six seasons, including two with Miami (2018-19), three with Florida (2020-22) and one with Akron (2023). He finished his college career with 186 rushing attempts for 927 yards (5.0 average) and seven touchdowns, while adding 38 receptions for 399 yards and two more touchdowns.
