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As the Giants' full-team minicamp opens Tuesday, any number of their players will be trying to pop for the coaches, for a variety of reasons. Some, like Canadian center Brett Jones, will be looking to get a jump on the competition for a roster spot come training camp. Others, like linebacker Jon Beason, will be looking to prove he's back to full strength after an injury-shortened 2014.
And still others, like wide receiver Corey Washington, fullback Henry Hynoski, and defensive end Kerry Wynn, will try to make an early case for increased field time.
The Giants all have something to prove. That's how things usually stand after a 6-10 disaster. But those five, especially, will garner extra attention from the coaching staff over the next three days.
Here's a closer look at their reasons and motivations.
Jon Beason
The Giants were in sore need of middle linebacker Jon Beason's leadership last year. But he only started four games the first seven weeks before a re-sprained toe knocked him out against Dallas and put him on the IR.
He says he's healthy now, but he needs to prove it. Otherwise, a large part of training camp will have to be devoted to switching Jameel McClain inside in a repeat of 2014, and that would upset plans for McClain and good-looking second-year veteran Devon Kennard to pair up on the outside.
Beason became almost an immediate leader in 2013 when, in 12 starts after he came over from the Carolina Panthers, he helped stabilize a chaotic unit. He has since reworked his contract into a more salary-cap friendly deal, and is now working to fit in with new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's aggressive system.
Beason needs to show evidence that he's ready to re-energize a toothless unit that took a large share of the blame the defense falling to a 29th overall ranking last year. If he can't, the staff is going to have to look for other ways to compensate, none of which will be better than having Beason in there.
Brett Jones
Brett Jones easily could have stayed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL and continued forging an outstanding career at center. After his first two years up there, he had been voted the league's Most Outstanding Rookie in 2013 and its Outstanding Offensive Lineman in 2014.
But the 318-pound, aspiring healer decided to follow his dream of playing in the NFL. He signed during free agency and has since been trying to acclimate himself to the new ways of his southern football neighbors.
This is when he'll truly be able to show his mastery of the techniques he has worked on the past eight weeks. Defensive linemen by rule set themselves a yard off the line of scrimmage in Canada, while here they are mere inches from the ball. That means everything happens faster, a factor Jones has been working on.
What must remain unseen, however, is whether Jones can compensate for the weight difference. They make defensive tackles smaller in Canada, as the need for side-to-side speed on the wider fields trumps space-eating size. "A defensive tackle up there is more like a defensive end down here," Jones said. "We don't have 300-pound DTs up there."
They do down here, though. If Jones shows improved hand speed and technique during his third-string snaps, he'll at least show the coaching staff that he's worth considering as a backup to starter Weston Richburg. Otherwise, he'll head into training camp as mere fodder.
Henry Hynoski
Henry Hynoski has always shown willingness and grit in performing his duties as a fullback, be it in Kevin Gilbride's offense or, last year, in Ben McAdoo's version of the West Coast system. So there's no reason to think he won't continue that.
Problem is, as McAdoo's system develops, the use for a true fullback diminishes. The blocking role can easily be assumed by an H-back/tight end type, as can the occasional rushing and pass-catching roles.
Basically, Hynoski has to show he can do all that. He has the skills. And the Giants do like him, considering they signed him to a two-year, $2 million contract in March. And he's well regarded by observers, one of whom ranked him as the league's second-best fullback. Still, he only played 209 snaps under McAdoo.
Still, Hynoski could use a good camp just to solidify that rep in the coaches' minds, just in case they have any notions of devoting that roster spot to bulk up another position.
Washington spent most of last year on special teams and is dying to get into the offense on a regular basis. But it's a crowded field, not only at the top with Odell Beckham, Jr., Victor Cruz, and Rueben Randle, but at the bottom with Preston Parker, free agent Dwayne Harris, Marcus Harris, and rookie Geremy Davis.
A good showing in this minicamp could raise that unit's biggest body (6-4, 214) to the top of those secondary receiver options.
He has already had what Tom Coughlin termed "a nice spring," highlighted by a falling, well-defended end zone catch he made during an OTA. He has shown speed and hands.
What he needs to continue to show the coaches this week is a growth in maturity level. He'll get that chance, considering Beckham (hamstring) and Cruz (knee) won't be seen again until training camp. The lack of bodies means more snaps for Washington, who looks to have the inside track right now on the fourth receivers spot.
Kerry Wynn had an impressive rookie season after the undrafted free agent entered the lineup the last five games of 2014. He showed some pass-rush ability, recording 1 1/5 sacks, while making 16 tackles and recovering a fumble.
Now, he goes full-out for a spot opposite Jason Pierre-Paul that Mathias Kiwanuka once occupied. He'll have company, namely in the more experienced George Selvie, Robert Ayers, Jr., and a developing Damontre Moore.
A good minicamp here would give him a leg up on at least becoming a functional part of the rotation.
Far more than Moore, the ultimate future of that spot, Wynn has shown the discipline of a veteran and has shown an ability to pursue the run, something that side lacked last year. He's big at 6-2, 305, and he is eager.
There is no saying he beats out the more veteran Selvie or Ayers, the latter of whom is still getting over an ankle sprain. And remember, third-rounder Owa Odighizuwa will probably get a spot, too. But a good minicamp will put Wynn in good stead with Spagnuolo and make any decision that much harder come summer.
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