As the New York Giants concluded Thursday's OTAs, head coach Tom Coughlin was greeted by an expected series of questions regarding Will Hill and Jayron Hosley, the two defensive backs who received drug suspensions this past week.
Hill was cut by the team this week, while Hosley received a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
"When you run a business, you have to be able to rely on people to be there when you need them to perform their duties," Coughlin said. "It's a sad day for both of those guys. From my standpoint, the whole organization is disappointed that it went that way, but unfortunately it was the right thing to do."
Regarding Hosley's more recently suspension, Coughlin said, "It's disappointing as heck, as you can imagine. But we go on. Somebody else has got to step up and go."
That somebody could be second-year safety Cooper Taylor, a 2013 fifth-round pick who appeared in 10 games last year. The Giants will likely go with Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown as the starting safeties, but Taylor, along with Quintin Demps and rookie Nat Berhe, figures to compete for playing time as a reserve.
"Well, you can see that [Cooper's] a much bigger human being right now," Coughlin said. "He's worked hard in the offseason; he's stronger, he's bigger. He's in his second time going around, so he has an excellent opportunity to contribute in a lot of ways."
Coughlin also had praise for Demps, who's seen time at kick returner and has "a lot of ways he can contribute."
As for the broader issues caused by having two players suspended for substance abuse violations, Coughlin said he didn't necessarily address the team as a whole considering the suspensions are largely isolated, individual issues.
"But I also know this: this is your job," he said. "If you're willing to jeopardize your job for some other reason, then perhaps you don't have your mind and priorities where they should be in the first place."
Notes
-- Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. didn't participate in Thursday's OTA due to a sore hamstring. Coughlin suggested the team will be cautious with its first-round pick, indicating that Beckham might miss additional time.
-- Guard Chris Snee received a scheduled a day off as he recovers from two offseason surgeries.
-- Coughlin praised tight end Adrien Robinson. "I think he's done a really good job in terms of just learning; again, not many mental errors. I've been really impressed with that." Coughlin also said tight end Larry Donnell has had similar success this spring.
-- While running back David Wilson wasn't cleared for contact Wednesday, Coughlin said the medical reports indicated there's "enough to be positive about" regarding Wilson's status.
"Oh, no question. Four 1/2 months out, looking forward to August, progress has been made. So it's not a negative report at all, in our opinion. It's probably right where it should be. You've got to remember: this guy, from day one, right after the surgery, within two weeks he didn't act like it was anything wrong. He has, from time to time, wanted to do more, and we can't let him do more. So I think he understands it."