When Jon Halapio beat out Brett Jones for the starting center job on the Giants' offensive line last training camp, expectations were high for the 27-year-old. 

He didn't have much of a chance to live up to them, going down with a fractured ankle during in Week 2 against the Cowboys and missing the remainder of the season. Halapio watched from the sidelines as the team stumbled to a 5-11 record and the play of the offensive line initially drew criticism, before continuity led to more rushing success for Saquon Barkley later in the season. 

"He was really playing well for us before he got hurt a year ago," coach Pat Shurmur said earlier this offseason. "So we had high hopes for him last season. It appears he has come back 100 percent and is back in there just like he was when he left us."

It has been four years since Hakeem Nicks played football professionally, but the former Giants wide receiver hopes he still has something left in the tank. 

All it took was a little push from Eli Manning to find out. 

Nicks worked out at the XFL's "Summer Showcase" on Friday at Montclair State University in front of XFL New York/New Jersey coach Kevin Gilbride, Nicks' former offensive coordinator, hoping to make a return to professional football. 

The 2019 New York Giants season is rapidly approaching, and there is still a lot to be sorted out along the depth chart. One of the best parts of minicamp and summer workouts is finding out which potential dark horses have a chance to make the 53-man roster and make an impact.

Here are five guys who have stood out so far:

Corey Coleman (WR/KR):

Former Giants WR Hakeem Nicks isn't done with his football career just yet. 

The XFL is hosting Summer showcases all over the country to find the best players for their inaugural season in 2020. And the Super Bowl champion will be among the participants in the New York tryout on Friday, according to the official Twitter account. 

Nicks last played in the NFL on a contract with the Saints. However, he was waived on Aug. 8, 2016 and hasn't been in the league since. But the 31-year-old isn't about to hang up his cleats for good just yet. 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

Pat Shurmur might as well have fired a starter's pistol into the air on Tuesday to signal the beginning of a quarterback controversy that will last through Giants training camp and beyond.

His words had the same jolting effect. After he was asked if rookie quarterback Daniel Jones could beat out Eli Manning and be the opening day starter, he could have just said "No."

Instead, he said this: "I think we are going to play the very best player and I know we are dancing around the words there. Right now, Eli is getting ready to have a great year and Daniel is getting ready to play. You see what happens with it."

Giants TE Evan Engram just can't catch a break. 

The Ole Miss product didn't have the sophomore season he was hoping for after a solid debut back in 2017. Injuries that included a concussion as well as hamstring and knee ailments kept him out five games. And when he was in the game, Engram didn't seem like his normal self as he battled back to full strength. 

Unfortunately, his third year isn't getting off to the best start either. Engram has been dealing with another hamstring injury that has kept him out most of the OTAs as well as the three-day minicamp last week...

It's been great to see and hear that the Giants' sixth overall pick in Daniel Jones has been impressing during the team's voluntary practices as well as their three-day minicamp. 

Jones' new teammates and coaches have noticed by the day that he became more comfortable with the offense, and in turn, his confidence rose. 

"You can see him getting confident," Evan Engram said of Jones after minicamp. "Anytime you're coming in as a rookie, you're going to be a little shaky or a little nervous. You kind of see him starting to brush that off, get into his groove and take advantage of everything he's given."

There was a time when Landon Collins wouldn't want to hit Saquon Barkley during practice. Well, now he doesn't have a choice with the Redskins. 

Collins, who once praised Barkley's physical attributes that made him such a tough running back to bring down, will now be tasked to keep him in the backfield twice a year. And he says he's ready for that commitment. 

"I've been ready to tackle Saquon," Collins told NorthJersey.com's Art Stapleton at the Landon Collins Celebrity Softball Game over the weekend. "That's my guy, though. All love to him and he's been doing his thing as we all know. But when I get to meet him in the hole this time, it's going to be full-go."

It may not be much, but minicamps give a quick glimpse into what the new pieces to a team can bring in the upcoming season. 

Daniel Jones, the Giants' No. 6 overall selection back in April, may be the exception as he is currently behind Eli Manning on the depth chart. But his development this season will be a major storyline, even if he isn't on the field getting NFL reps. 

During the three-day minicamp in East Rutherford, Jones surprised in many facets like his foot speed, arm strength that didn't appear average like the scouting reports said, and his overall performance during team drills. Working with the second team, Jones was very efficient while going through his progressions quickly and fire strikes across the gridiron.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

POMONA, N.Y. - Landon Collins spent the first four years of his NFL career in Giants blue, dreaming of staying in that uniform forever. 

Less than three months after joining the Redskins, though, all those warm, fuzzy feelings for the Giants are gone.

"Honestly, I feel more of a Redskin now after going through OTAs, being there for a while, hanging out with them and having a great time," Collins said. "I feel like I'm at home.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

POMONA, N.Y. - The former Giants who won championships with Eli Manning have long been his biggest defenders. But even they understand that the end is coming for their quarterback.

They just don't think the end is here yet.

"I chuckle at the reports you hear weekly about how Eli can't play quarterback and he's washed up," said former Giants center Shaun O'Hara. "Nothing could be further from the truth. The Giants have lost a lot of games the last few years, but they're not all Eli's fault -- and none of them are because Eli can't throw the ball."

The Giants' pass rush has long been one of the franchise's trademarks. From Lawrence Taylor to Michael Strahan to Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' defense does its best work when it's rushing the passer.

It's no coincidence that the Giants' defense has declined recently as the pass rush disappeared.

The Giants have been a bottom-five team in sacks in three of the last four years. The one time they were better, they made the playoffs.

As preliminary negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement are underway in the NFL, the push for an 18-game schedule has once again entered the conversation. 

And once again, it is being met with resistance by the players' union. 

Zak DeOssie, the Giants long snapper and member of the NFLPA executive committee as vice president, vocalized his opposition to that idea on Thursday at Giants minicamp. 

Behind Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate, there is an opportunity for somebody to step up and grab the Giants' No. 3 wide receiver spot. If rookie Darius Slayton performs in training camp this summer like he did this week, he'll have a shot.

By all accounts, the fifth-round pick out of Auburn had a strong minicamp this week, rebounding from what was a rough showing during rookie camp. 

"The guy that's made huge improvements in my eyes has been Slayton, he's done a really good job," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said Thursday. "I think we were all here during rookie minicamp when he kind of had the yips, drops and what not. He's really smoothed it out and he's been making plays. He's the first guy that comes to mind. This time of year, it's more about throwing and catching and less about blocking and tackling. I think the young guys in the secondary have been competing, all of the new players. That's a good thing."

When Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. talked on Wednesday about having to get used to new QB Baker Mayfield's arm strength, many took it as a dig at Eli Manning.

Saquon Barkley did not.

"I saw his comments. I don't think Odell was making a shot at Eli or anybody," Barkley told SNY's Jonas Schwartz on Thursday after shaking his head at the situation. "You have to get used to a new quarterback," Barkley explained, likening the situation to how he got used to the Giants' reshuffled offensive line during the second half of last season.

As the Giants finished up their three-day minicamp in East Rutherford on Thursday, head coach Pat Shurmur wasn't just fielding questions about his current 90-man roster. He was also asked about one of his former players. 

Odell Beckham Jr. has been taking part in his own minicamp with his new team, the Cleveland Browns. After the session on Wednesday, the star receiver looked to have taken a shot at his former quarterback Eli Manning with this comment. 

"I'm going to have to get adjusted to the speed because he has an arm,'' Beckham told reporters. "He's throwing that ball hard. Just catching him from the first day, it was like, 'Wow! This is completely different.' It just takes time."

While the expectation is that Eli Manning will be under center for the Giants in Week 1, head coach Pat Shurmur hasn't totally closed the door on the possibility of rookie Daniel Jones playing from Day-1. 

On Wednesday, Jones spoke with SNY's Ralph Vacchiano about not being ruled out as the starter for Week 1 and whether he thinks he's in competition for the job.

"I think my approach is to make sure I'm ready to play if I need to and prepare like everyone on the team is expected -- prepare like you're gonna play," Jones said. "Obviously Eli is a guy who's had a whole lot of success. He's the guy. And my job is to prepare and to improve every day and put myself in the best position to help the team.

It seems as if Odell Beckham Jr. is taking shots at Eli Manning from Cleveland.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday from Browns OTAs, Beckham said that he needed to adjust to Baker Mayfield's arm strength, seeming to take a dig at Manning. 

"I'm going to have to get adjusted to the speed because he has an arm,'' Beckham told reporters. "He's throwing that ball hard. Just catching him from the first day, it was like, 'Wow! This is completely different.' It just takes time."

With all eyes on the Giants' quarterback situation, Eli Manning is simply focusing on doing his job.

Speaking on Wednesday, the veteran QB was asked about OTAs have been going, and of course, about rookie signal caller Daniel Jones.

"I think it's going well. I think we're doing some good things," Manning said. "I feel like we're getting some good plays, throwing the deep ball and some of those things well. Always some room for improvement."

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There is no quarterback controversy with the Giants. Eli Manning isn't in danger of losing his starting job. And neither Pat Shurmur nor Dave Gettleman really want to head into the season with a rookie starter anyway.

At least not yet.

And that caveat is the part that's going to make things really interesting this summer, in what figures to be an otherwise quiet training camp for the rebuilding Giants. Because while the depth chart with the 38-year-old Manning far ahead of rookie Daniel Jones almost certainly won't change at least until they're deep into the regular season, no one around the Giants can or will say that for sure.

Sterling Shepard enters his fourth year with the Giants, which makes him the receiver with the most experience playing with Eli Manning.

So when Shepard joined Manning for his annual spring throwing program, this year it was in New Jersey, he noticed there was something different about the 38-year-old veteran. 

"Yeah, he's the same guy but I think he's just upped it a little bit more," Shepard said Tuesday at Giants minicamp. "I saw him after every single throwing session, he was doing a conditioning session without us. I've always seen him do conditioning, but afterwards he was getting after it, that was a little different from what I saw previous years."

There's more to Giants undrafted rookie Reggie White Jr. than a familiar name, a familiar number, and familiar stomping grounds.

No, White Jr. is not the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White, but the other Reggie White who played defensive line in the NFL in the 1990s.

No, he did not ask to wear No. 13 on the Giants as a rookie, becoming the first player to wear the number made famous by ex-Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. since his trade in March.

One of the key players to watch this season for the Giants will be new safety Jabrill Peppers. 

Peppers, a former first-round pick, joins the Giants from the Cleveland Browns as part of Big Blue's return in the shocking Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

The third-year safety's numbers were pedestrian with the Browns, recording an interception in each of his first two seasons, but GM Dave Gettleman regards Peppers as a first-round talent. 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There will be no Odell Beckham Jr., no Landon Collins and no Olivier Vernon on the field for the Giants this week. Eli Manning will of course still be there, but his eventual replacement will likely be standing in his shadow the whole time.

So it'll be a new, interesting and somewhat confusing look for the Giants as they begin their three-day, full-team, mandatory minicamp on Tuesday morning. It's either the beginning of the end of the Manning Era, a new start for the Dave Gettleman Era, or maybe even a little bit of both.

One thing's for sure: There will be plenty of interesting storylines. Here are a Top 5:

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

BAYONNE, N.J. -- Like most Giants players from the Super Bowl XLII and XLVI teams, Justin Tuck is a huge Eli Manning supporter. He believes in the 38-year-old quarterback's ability, and he wants the Giants to ride with him as long as they can.

But if the Giants are going to replace Manning in the near future, Tuck is fine if "Little Eli" turns out to be the guy.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) may be skeptical regarding some of the Giants' moves this offseason, but remains a diehard at heart. 

Speaking to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano at an event for the Newark Mentoring Movement, the presidential candidate said his dream would be to host the Giants for a White House visit, which would mean two things need to happen: 1) for Booker to win the presidency, and 2) the Giants to win it all when he's in office. 

"Becoming the president is obviously a life aspiration," he said. "Having [the Giants] come as the Super Bowl champions when I'm there? That would be one of the greatest moments of my life." 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

BAYONNE, N.J. - Justin Tuck can see exactly what Giants GM Dave Gettleman is trying to do with his old team. He knows Gettleman is trying to rebuild the Giants the way they were built back in the 2000s, when they emerged as one of the best franchises in the league.

Of course, that doesn't mean he's happy about every move Gettleman has made.

"I love Landon (Collins)," Tuck said on Monday. "That's probably the one that I'm most pissed about."

The NFL-wide shock of Giants GM Dave Gettleman selecting Duke QB Daniel Jones with the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft has (for the most part) settled. Odell Beckham Jr. is a member of the Cleveland Browns, and yes, the organization will probably never hear the end of it. If there's something that Giants fans can take solace in, it's that Saquon Barkley is still just 22 years old and going into his second season as a pro.

Giants Twittersphere will never tell you this, but there are in fact a few reasons to feel optimistic eye for the upcoming season...

Saquon Barkley's continued development

If Kevin Durant decides to play for the Knicks, he may have a local ally in Saquon Barkley. 

The Giants running back was giving his thoughts on the NBA Finals at his youth football camp in North Caldwell, NJ on Saturday when he had a Freudian slip discussing the injured Warriors forward. 

"If KD comes back, I mean, KD's the best player in the world," Barkley said, before quickly correcting himself. "I mean one of the best players in the world. It's him and LeBron [James]."

Saquon Barkley is beaming with confidence over the team's future franchise quarterback, as well as the outlook for the 2019 season despite all the naysayers. 

The Giants running back and 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is a believer in 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones and said the former Duke quarterback is already making an impression at OTAs. 

"Daniel Jones went crazy yesterday in practice. He had himself a day," Barkley told reporters at his youth football camp in North Caldwell, NJ on Saturday. "I believe in him. He's in the perfect position ... just to be behind Eli [Manning], a two-time Super Bowl MVP, a quarterback who does everything right, whose a captain and a leader -- when [Jones'] opportunity comes he's just gotta be ready for it."

Landon Collins has not been shy about his displeasure over the way things ended with the Giants, but the new Washington Redskins safety seems pretty happy he's on a team where he's "wanted."

In an ESPN episode of "Hang Time," Collins appeared to throw a little more shade the Giants' way when asked why he was no longer in New York. 

"I really couldn't tell you what happened," he said. "I'm happy we're [filming] in D.C. because I'm on a team that loves me and wanted me here."

Heading into the offseason, the Giants knew they needed to fill some holes to return to a competitive team in 2019. 

The secondary was certainly one of those holes, as the unit struggled for Big Blue last season. Janoris Jenkins wasn't himself with his ankle injury when he was on the field, and the Eli Apple trade led to players like B.W. Webb to step in. 

And that was only at cornerback. The Giants' offseason saw Landon Collins and Curtis Riley -- the Giants' starting safeties -- walk into free agency. So GM Dave Gettleman had some work to do to shore up a group that mostly contributed to the team being second-to-last in pass defense (252.4 yards allowed per game) in 2018. 

Giants wide receiver Golden Tate is back playing at MetLife Stadium, where he won a Super Bowl as a member of the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. 

It was the night before that Super Bowl, though, when there was a reported fight between Tate and teammate Percy Harvin. 

Harvin and Tate reportedly came to blows the night before beating the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII, but that is not entirely true. 

If casual football fans know the names of their offensive linemen, it's either for a very good reason or a very bad reason.

That's why it was special that every Giants fan knew the team's Super Bowl-winning offensive line from 2006-2010. The bruising group of Diehl-Seubert-O'Hara-Snee-McKenzie will live on in Giants lore forever.

Over time, the team added new faces, but things remained the same. The Giants pounded the run and gave Eli Manning time to look deep on passes, which led to the team winning their second Super Bowl in five years.

For the first time, it appears the Browns aren't thrilled with Odell Beckham.

First-year head coach Freddie Kitchens was asked Thursday what he wants to see from Beckham next week for the Browns' mandatory minicamp.

"I just want to see him," Kitchens said, according to Cleveland.com.

After a tornado exerted severe damage on Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding areas, Cody Latimer returned to his hometown. 

The Giants wideout left the team after Tuesday's practice and likely won't be on the field the rest of this week during OTAs as he provides aid to Dayton residents. Latimer was born and raised in the city and still has family that resides in the area. 

According to the Dayton Daily News, Latimer is one of several professional athletes giving back to the community. The former Jefferson High School standout helped provide meals for storm victims Wednesday through a partnership with a local pizzeria. 

The back end of the Giants' defense is going to have a very different look this season, and veteran safety Antoine Bethea believes that he and Jabrill Peppers can play off of each other very well for Big Blue.

Bethea, signed by the Giants in March, believes his style of play matches up very well with Peppers, one of the key pieces of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

"Peppers, he likes to play down in the box, get his hands on guys, he can cover," Bethea said. "I can play on the back end, and do a multitude of things. I think we can play off of each other very well."

Appearing as a guest on the RapSheet and Friends podcast, Giants wide receiver Golden Tate touched on a variety of topics, from his free agency experience, to his early impressions of his new team, and more.

"Something definitely feels special about being here," Tate told Ian Rapoport. "I've known for a long time that this fan base is incredible. After playing in this division last year for a little bit, I think that this is the best division in football to be a part of, and that's exciting." 

The 30-year-old wideout signed a four-year, $37.5 million contract with the Giants in March. The former Seahawk, Lion, and Eagle signed with the Giants just two days after the Odell Beckham Jr. trade became official.

The NFL Players Association sent out an email on Tuesday morning warning all NFL agents of a possible work stoppage 'less than two years away,' according to a report from Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Daily.

NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith advised all agents to encourage their player clients to begin planning ahead for 'a work stoppage of at least a year in length.'

This latest memo from the NFLPA comes after an earlier report on Tuesday from the New York Times that seemed to indicate talks between the NFL and NFLPA were progressing towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current CBA, a 10-year agreement, was agreed to by both sides in August 2011, after a lockout of about four and a half months.

It's always a little bit easier the second time around. 

That's how Saquon Barkley is feeling as he participates in his second batch of OTAs as a Giant. Speaking with reporters Tuesday, he addressed a litany of topics, including the revamped offensive line, Le'Veon Bell signing with the Jets, Odell Beckham Jr.'s departure and advice for rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. 

Here's a closer look at what he had to say: 

Under center, Daniel Jones is the heir apparent to Eli Manning, who is already leading by example toward the young quarterback. 

Addressing reporters Tuesday, Jones said Manning's daily routine and practice habits have already left an impression on him more than anything else so far. 

"To me, a lot of it is in his routine and in his daily preparation and how he prepares for practice," Jones said. "How he reviews practice and learns from practice. I think that routine and just learning from that, being able to watch him every day, for me, has been the most helpful."

To properly compare the versatility Jabrill Peppers offers on the gridiron, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh once invoked the legendary Jim Thorpe. 

The high praise for the former Wolverine and current Giants safety, who was acquired this offseason as part of the return from Cleveland in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade, doesn't stop there. 

"There's nothing he can't do," Harbaugh has said in the past, per NorthJersey.com. 

The Giants' newest wide receiver has some high hopes for the eventual Eli Manning to Daniel Jones transition. 

Golden Tate, whom the Giants signed this offseason after trading Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns, spoke highly of the rookie quarterback in a SiriusXM NFL Radio interivew on Thursday. 

The 30-year-old receiver said that Jones should benefit a great deal from learning behind Manning and envisions a Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers-type changing of the guard. 

Last season, GM Dave Gettleman decided to take a risk in the supplemental draft, and select CB Sam Beal out of Western Michigan. And many lauded the move despite it costing the Giants' a third-round pick this season. 

First, the Giants needed cornerback depth behind Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple, and Beal was said to be the best supplemental draft pick since Josh Gordon. So why not take the risk? 

Well, it didn't work out so well for the Grand Rapids, MI native in his rookie season. In one of his first practices with his new team, Beal aggravated a shoulder condition the team was aware of when they drafted him. Instead of trying to rehab it, he underwent season-ending surgery to repair it. 

The Giants' offseason has been eventful to say the least. 

Landon Collins was allowed to walk into free agency, and is now circling his calendar twice for the next six years with the Redskins for his revenge tour. Odell Beckham Jr. is now a Brown in what was the most surprising trade of the year. And Olivier Vernon joined him in a not-so-surprising trade to Cleveland.

All of this came after GM Dave Gettleman traded Eli Apple and Damon "Snacks" Harrison to the Saints and Lions respectively before the trade deadline last season. There is one Giant, though, that survived through the roster carnage. 

Giants co-owner John Mara has heard all the criticism toward his team this offseason, but he is not entertaining any of it. 

In his first comments since the NFL Draft, Mara, who was in Florida for owners meetings on Tuesday, said he likes where his team is headed despite the frustrations the fan base may hold. 

"Absolutely, I think we're moving in the right direction," he told Bob Glauber of Newsday. "I certainly don't think we're a finished product yet, but I am happy with the direction of the team, contrary to popular opinion."

When RT Mike Remmers signed with the Giants, it didn't come as a surprise. 

The veteran tackle visited with the team twice, and with his connections to head coach Pat Shumur and GM Dave Gettleman having played under them over his career, it seemed like a no-brainer. 

That's why when the signing finally came true, fans were most likely saying, "It's about time." For Remmers, who was sitting in free agency awaiting a call from his next time, he was basically thinking the same thing. 

When it comes to the Giants' roster, Dave Gettleman has made it a point to eliminate what he perceives as "distractions."

The general manager and former safety Landon Collins appear to have different definitions of the word. 

Collins, now with NFC East rival Washington, told ESPN's Jordan Raanan the reason he, Olivier Vernon and Odell Beckham Jr. were not brought back because they provided too much of a presence in the locker room.

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur may have said that Eli Manning is the team's starting quarterback, but the 38-year-old spent more time answering questions about Daniel Jones than the upcoming season after Monday's OTA. 

It was the first time Manning and Jones took the field together since the Giants drafted the Duke quarterback with the sixth overall pick in April's NFL Draft, and afterward Manning was asked about the dynamic between him and the future franchise quarterback, particularly if he is comfortable mentoring the soon-to-be 22-year-old rookie. 

"I think I've been doing that the last 11, 12 years," Manning said. "I don't know when you become a mentor, or when that's official. I think if you've been in the league longer than any guy in the quarterback room I think you should be a mentor in that sense where if you know a little bit more and be helpful.