Giants could get a very motivated Kayvon Thibodeaux in a contract year this season

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — If the New York Giants get the same Kayvon Thibodeaux this season who showed up the first few days of training camp, he’ll force his way onto the field and make himself a lot of money next spring.

Thibodeaux tipped a pass from Jameis Winston in the first practice and intercepted one in the second earlier this week, showing flashes of what made him the fifth pick in the 2022 draft. He has been playing mostly with the second-string defense, given edge rushers Brian Burns and Abdul Carter also being on the roster.

He brushed that off, along with going into a contract year, as any extra fuel. Still, the Giants very well could get a motivated Thibodeaux after no trade materialized for him at or before the draft, and with a potential payday — likely elsewhere — coming for him in free agency next March.

“You just want to be the best player you can be," Thibodeaux said Saturday. "Keep finding ways to help the team. Keep leading.”

Thibodeaux is coming off setting career lows with 2 1/2 sacks, 25 tackles and nine quarterback hits, playing in just 10 games before a shoulder injury ended his fourth NFL season. A reduced role on a unit with Burns and Carter didn't help, and he's not sure where he fits now.

"We’ll just keep working and figure it out," Thibodeaux said.

Incoming defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson bringing in a different system could provide Thibodeaux a spark. The 24-year-old also has a big fan in new coach John Harbaugh .

“He’s a smart, thoughtful guy,” Harbaugh said. “He’s all ball. He’s determined. He’s kind of no nonsense, good sense of humor. I like him. He’s a good dude. He works hard. You’re a coach, you like guys who work hard."

After ranking 28th out of 32 teams on defense last season, the Giants are optimistic about improving thanks to additions like rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, the No. 5 pick in the draft, and veterans like Tremaine Edmunds, Greg Newsome and Ar’Darius Washington.

Getting Thibodeaux back to the player who had 11 1/2 sacks and 50 tackles in 2023 would also be a big boost. General manager Joe Schoen said Thibodeaux had great spring workouts and is in the kind of physical shape to be a difference-maker.

“I’m excited about Kayvon,” Schoen said. “He’s going to be a big part of this roster. He’ll be an important part of our defense.”

After sitting out practice Friday in what Harbaugh called part of the process, No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers was back doing individual drills 24 hours later. Nabers is working to return from a torn ACL in his right knee, and neither he nor the team has set a timetable for being game ready.

“I would say he’s generally on schedule,” Harbaugh said. “He’s working to get himself back as soon as he can, and we’ll see.”

Fellow wideout Darius Slayton, who had core muscle surgery earlier this year, said he and Nabers have been rehabbing side by side. He called seeing Nabers in a helmet a blessing, knowing there are still a few more steps to go.

“He’s going to keep working his way back,” Slayton said. “I love to see him kind of start to get over that hump and get back out there and get to feeling like himself and being the star that we all know that he can be.”

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