Relying on newcomers is a matter of trust for the locker room

EAST RUTHERFORD — Amid a postgame media scrum at his locker after the most difficult moment of his NFL career so far, New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers apologized to his veteran teammates.

A loss to Nabers in the fourth round cost the Giants a chance at a win two weeks ago against Washington, but given his performance early in that game – not to mention how he has conducted himself since joining the team in May – there was no shade needed by anyone in that locker room.

“I told him after I saw that [interview after the Washington game]“He didn’t let anyone down,” Giants star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said Sunday. “It will happen.” We are professionals. We're going to make some plays, we're going to miss some plays. All the greats do it. So it’s just a matter of reacting.”

That's exactly what Nabers did when he helped Big Blue get its first win a week later.

And Nabers is not alone.

The Giants' rookie class plays more than any other in the NFL, and make no mistake: veterans in this league know the difference between forced and earned.

The Giants have their highest percentage of rookies on the field so far this season, led by Nabers, the No. 6 overall pick, who is preparing for his first taste of prime time in the NFL on Thursday night against the Cowboys.

But this goes beyond just counting snapshots. It's about earning respect, building relationships and being willing to live with mistakes for the greater good – as long as the work ethic is right. Of course, talent also counts – the higher the skills, the longer the proverbial leash, the greater the patience and understanding.

“It’s consistency, bro,” Giants safety Jason Pinnock told NorthJersey.com. “I live by the quote: 'Trust is earned in drops, but it is lost in buckets,' and that is the most important thing – stay consistent and work.”

Life as an NFL rookie comes with a lot of pressure. High draft picks like Nabers and second-round safety Tyler Nubin try to justify the draft capital spent on them from the moment they walk into the building.

There are the likes of third-round nickel corner Dru Phillips, fourth-round tight end Theo Johnson and fifth-round running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., whose talent brings them opportunities that inevitably come with growing pains.

Then there are rookies like sixth-round linebacker Darius Muasau and undrafted free agent tryout Elijah Chatman, both of whom are worried about being one organizational decision away from either hitting the waiver wire achieve, switch to the training group or leave the league Good.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Giants have the two highest-rated rookies this season (Nabers and Phillips). Nubin has played every defensive snap, joining linebacker Bobby Okereke, who hasn't missed a single game in 20 games since signing with the Giants.

Adjusting to the NFL isn't easy, and that goes for both the players and the coaches.

On a roster whose foundation has been decimated by years of drafting and free agent missteps in three previous failed regimes, the Giants needed to get contributions from their rookies in coach Brian Daboll's first three seasons to be competitive.

There have been mixed results in roster construction over three offseasons for general managers Joe Schoen and Daboll and for a franchise that has lost as much as the Giants through a lack of continuity, inconsistency and errors in personnel (and personal) evaluation for more than a decade.

If the Giants want to turn things around, they need to find the right balance between youth and experience.

“You have to know the player, understand what drives him and what doesn’t,” said Daboll. “Young players will make mistakes. Everyone will make mistakes. But young players, that's why you play against them, because you think they have good talent. They're going to go through some growing pains here and there.” But you can learn from them, from the things that show up, and as the season goes on you see improvement from these young players.

The learning curve for tight end Theo Johnson is likely to be sharper given the position he plays and the amount Daboll has thrown at his plate. There have been ups and downs and some questions about whether possible misinterpretations in selection routes have led to misunderstandings with Daniel Jones.

The Giants feel that Johnson's potential utility in this offense outweighs the risks, and while they will obviously try to minimize those, Daboll believes his development in real time is necessary to speed up the process.

“It's a difficult position,” Daboll said, pointing out that the tight ends share responsibilities with the offensive line, the entire passing game, all the protections and then their own individual roles in the game plan. “A protection meeting here, leading a game meeting here, passing a game meeting here, and then you think: I have 10 minutes of individual time. They’re doing a good job.” [Johnson and tight ends coach Tim Kelly] meet early. He is a smart young man. He did a good job.

When Chatman recorded his first sack in Cleveland, Lawrence was the first teammate to congratulate him. The All-Pro defensive tackle believes this rookie class has proven they are an important part of the team because they continue to demonstrate that.

“I told them they have to earn that respect every week – they have to earn that respect every day,” Lawrence told NorthJersey.com. “You can be happy for this moment and enjoy it, but you can’t let it hinder your growth. I think that's the biggest thing you have to understand as a rookie. A bad play is not who you are. One.” Playing well is not the way to become great and I'm excited about the freshmen we have and that's all you can really ask for.

The signs are there when newbies aren't ready for prime time. You can't convince veterans in this league that players deserve to be in the lineup based on their draft status and financial commitment alone.

In other words, teams can't sell false hope — that's how locker rooms are lost — and Pinnock promises the Giants will embrace the successes their 2024 class has already achieved and those to come.

“It’s about communication before snapping, steady feet. It’s about feeling good,” he said. “Because we're all human – we have these unconscious, nonverbal mannerisms and it's like, 'Oh, he's uncomfortable, he's not ready, or he is.' You can't hide it at this level, you can just tell whether newbies have it or not based on what we've seen so far and it's a great feeling, not just for the future team but for what we are just trying to do.

Relying on newcomers is a matter of trust for the locker room

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