Russell Wilson is already changing the way the New York Giants practice, ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
The New York Giants signed Russell Wilson hoping the veteran quarterback throws head coach Brian Daboll’s playbook wide open and pushes the passing game more vertically.
With mandatory minicamp in full swing, Wilson’s fingerprints are already all over key changes in how the offense is preparing for the upcoming season.
According to Daboll, more practice time is being dedicated this spring to seven-on-seven drills, at Wilson’s request.
“Obviously, we’ve added some more seven on seven reps here,” Daboll told reporters. “That’s something that (quarterback) Russell (Wilson) feels really good about. And, you know, you can do it one of two ways. You can do a half line to see coverages. You can do a full field, seven on seven.
“You know, we’ve added some competitive periods where they have to play the situations out. Not that we didn’t do that, but we’ve placed a little bit more emphasis on it. And not just a third down situation, but maybe a quarter in a game, time left, score. We’ve done pretty much, I’d say every day we’ve done a little bit of that.”
Adding in more competitive periods is a quick way to instill a culture, especially for a team that’s seen so many marquee additions on both sides of the ball.
However, Daboll says that there’s a critical reason Wilson wanted more time in seven-on-seven periods during practice as he works on timing with Giants receivers Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, and Co.
“I’ve talked to Russ,” Daboll said. “He, again, you see it’s good for the defense too in terms of the back seven, just in terms of how they match routes. Their zone drops, adjustments. You can’t do one-on-ones during this time, so seven on seven was something that we thought we’d add, and we’ve done quite a bit of that. But we’ve added a number of reps, I would say too, situational reps. So every year is a little bit different.”
Wilson is looking to turn the page from a disappointing close to the 2024 season, in which he was at the helm of a season-ending five-game losing streak in which he failed to surpass 200 passing yards twice during that stretch for the Steelers, whose season came to an end in the AFC Wild Card Round against the Baltimore Ravens.
If Wilson, Nabers, Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, et al. quickly get on the same page, Daboll may look back on these added reps as the moment the offense he’s always envisioned began to truly take shape.
Russell Wilson Making ‘Awesome’ Impression on Giants Teammates
Dan Mullan | GettyThe New York Giants are betting big on Russell Wilson elevating the vertical passing game.
Slayton, who enters the 2025 campaign averaging 15 yards per reception for his career, figures to be the Giants’ No. 2 deep-threat opposite Nabers, which means he could see a more significant workload with Wilson slinging it this fall.
After all, Wilson thrives and is at his best pushing the ball vertically, and Slayton says that he’s already impressed by what he’s seen from his new quarterback this spring.
“It’s been awesome,” Slayton told reporters, of Wilson. “His knowledge of the game has shown already. Obviously, he has amazing talent with the ball. Accuracy, great touch on the deep balls. I don’t really know that he’s missed more than one or two deep balls this whole camp. He is really accurate, really smart. He’s helped keep us in good plays throughout the whole camp. So, his impact has been felt for sure.”
Last season, despite a revolving door of mediocre quarterback play, Slayton caught 39 passes for 573 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with a 13.7 yards average depth of target which could even jump from ranking 18th in the league last season with Wilson in East Rutherford this season.
This developing connection between Wilson and Slayton won’t just stretch defenses; it promises to be a critical component in the Giants’ quest to light up the scoreboard in hopes of returning to relevance this fall.
Malik Nabers ‘Making Progress’
GettyMalik Nabers is working his way back from a toe injury this spring.
Nabers, the top of the depth chart star of the Giants’ receiving corps and offense has been reduced to the role of spectator this spring, but he was back on the field taking part of walkthroughs to close out New York’s work this spring.
Daboll says he’s encouraged by the progress the second-year receiver is making towards getting back onto the field, the Giants hope, in time for training camp this summer.
“He’ll be doing similar thing that he’s done the last couple times he’s been out,” Daboll told reporters.
Nabers, who caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, after being chosen No. 6 overall in last spring’s draft, figures to be the focal point of the offense in 2025.
Even being able to participate in walkthrough reps could prove valuable for Nabers in his first spring catching passes from Wilson, in what could become a scheme that utilizes him even more than it did during his rookie year.
