By all accounts, the Giants’ addition of outside linebacker Jihad Ward is already paying dividends, as far as bringing in a veteran with leadership traits and a big personality.
Ward, 28, has made an immediate impression.
“He kind of jumped right into the deep end,’’ head coach Brian Daboll said. “He’s got a great personality, energetic. I love the way he practices. He’s always running to the ball. I’d say he helps out. … He’s great with guys like Kayvon [Thibodeaux] and those young guys in his room.’’
Ward came highly recommended by new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who worked with Ward on the Ravens in 2019 and 2020.
Having Ward sharing a position-group room with the rookie Thibodeaux is part of the team-building that Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen want to see in the first year of this new regime.
Ward sounds eager to do his part with Thibodeaux.
Jihad Ward Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post“I’m on him,’’ Ward said Wednesday after minicamp practice. “Make sure he’s studied the playbook and stuff like that, because I don’t want him to play slow. I don’t want any of my guys to play slow. That goes for all positions. But him, he’ll be ready. He’ll definitely be ready, and I can’t wait.’’
It does not sound as if Daboll is a believer in establishing a leadership council. He did not directly answer if he will assemble a group of players to meet with him this season and said he is looking forward to later in the summer seeing who the players vote in as the team captains.
“That will be down the road at the end of the preseason games, so who they see as their leaders, I think that’s more important, necessarily than who I see,’’ Daboll said.
Free agent TE Ricky Seals-Jones has not found his way into many highlights this spring and has often been on the field with the second- or third-team offense.
Jihad Ward Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post“I wouldn’t read too much into any of that,’’ Daboll said. “I always tell these guys we have a rep chart, not a depth chart right now.
“He’s been with the ones, he’s been in the twos, he’s been with the threes. We’ve used different personnel packages. This isn’t really an evaluation type of camp. It is more of a teaching, learning camp and moving guys around and putting them with different players.’’
The second day of this minicamp was much lighter than Tuesday, with practice held at a walk-through pace, with players not wearing helmets.
“Coach does a really good job of listening to the players, listening to the staff and understanding we’ve been grinding,’’ running back Saquon Barkley said. “We’ve been going since April 4. If he felt like chopping practice down that means as players we’ve been doing a really good job of giving him confidence to do that.’’
