New York Giants' mini-camp preview: Five things to watch for this week

The New York Giants begin their mandatory mini-camp Tuesday with practice beginning at 11:05 a.m. at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mini-camp practices will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Players will then be off until reporting for training camp on July 21.

Use this as your open thread to discuss today's practice, and follow the Twitter stream below for updates before, during and after practice. There will be much more coverage from Big Blue View once practice, and locker room access, concludes. for now, here are five things to watch this week.

The Linebacker Lineup

This is the 'who looks likely to replace Jon Beason' question. The Giants, of course, hope that Beason returns from surgery to repair a broken bone and torn ligament in his right foot in time for the season opener Sept. 8 vs. the Detroit Lions. In the meantime, they have to prep someone to replace him. Jameel McClain? Devon Kennard? Mark Herzlich? Keep an eye on how the Giants' linebackers line up, and how they look during the three practices.

Ryan Nassib Progress Meter

Can Nassib earn the backup quarterback job? Nassib has received the majority of reps behind Eli Manning this spring. During workouts media has had access to, the second-year quarterback out of Syracuse has not been impressive.

"He's worked very hard. He studied hard and he can direct traffic out here," said head coach Tom Coughlin. "We just need to get the execution where we need it to be."

Nassib threw three interceptions with media watching during last Thursday's OTA. If he continues to play like that Curtis Painter will once again end up backing up Manning. Keep an eye on Nassib's progress through OTAs.

Will Odell Beckham Jr. Practice?

Will the Giants' first-round pick do more than just run around a little bit on the side? Beckham has been sitting out recent OTAs due to a sore hamstring. Beckham said last week that he was "pretty sure" he would be able to participate in mini-camp. We will find out soon enough.

The Tight End Situation

Of course this one is on the list. Who gets the most reps with the first team? Who looks good? Who doesn't? Does anyone look capable of winning the job? Do the Giants still need to go out and get veteran help at the position? Keep an eye out for anyone who stands out this week.

Progress On Offense

The Giants are continuing to install pieces of the new offense being implemented by first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Coughlin said last week that "progress is slow, but steady." No one should expect the Giants to look like a well-oiled machine at this point. They still don't have the entire offense installed, and with players like Will Beatty and David Wilson unable to practice fully if at all they don't have all of their parts in place.

What you hope to see are signs of what the offense can be, and signs that players are growing in their comfort levels. Look for those things this week.

Mini-Camp Rules

These are the mini-camp rules as outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement:

No mandatory veteran tn1l11camp may exceed three days in length, plus one day for physical examinations. The minicamp must be conducted during the week (Monday through Friday), with physicals taking place on Monday but no practice or workouts on that day, practices on Tuesday through Thurs­day and a day off on Friday. The minicamp must be conducted during week three or week four of Phase Three of the Club's offseason workout program. The Phase Three rules set forth in Article 21, Section 2(b)(iii) of this Agreement shall apply to all mini­camp activities. Two-a-day practices shall be permitted at two of the three practice days of the Club's one mandatory minicamp, subject to the following rules: (i) players may be on the field for a total of no more than three and one-half hours per day; (ii) players may participate in one practice for no more than two and one-half hours of on-field activities under Phase Three rules; (iii) the second practice may only be for the remaining portion of the players' daily three and one-half hour on-field activities and shall be limited to walk-through instruction only; (iv) no organized team activities (including treatment and taping) may begin prior to 7:00am local time or end after 8:30pm local time, and players shall be given at least one hour for lunch and dinner each; (v) players may only be asked to participate in Club activities for a maximum of ten hours per day including taping and treatment but excluding meal time. The on-field time limits described above shall begin as soon as position coaches begin to coach players on the field. ...

There will be no contact work (e.g., "live" blocking, tackling, pass rushing, bump-and-run) or use of pads (helmets permitted) at minicamps.

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