The New York Giants‘ preseason opener is only days away, and hype is mounting over camp standouts, even before pads come down on Saturday versus the Bills. This summer’s training camp has been characterized by a new-look pass rush that already appears to be frighteningly good: veteran Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux have been garnering praise, but it’s rookie Abdul Carter who’s making waves. From cannon-fast edge bursts to spinning, slippery moves, Carter’s flashed midseason-caliber explosiveness in both padded and non-padded drills, providing the Giants’ defense with a buzzworthy jolt on the eve of August’s live action, according to ESPN.

Behind him, Russell Wilson‘s revitalized spark gets the offense running in spurts, and Malik Nabers keeps reminding us why he was the crown jewel of New York’s draft class, burning defensive backs for highlight-reel catches, according to SNY Giants. With preseason live reps ticking away, the narrative within East Rutherford is not only about who plays where, but how these new pieces will stake out roles, and Abdul Carter’s set to make his loudest pitch of all.

Training camp in East Rutherford has not felt the same in 2025. After two years of sluggish starts that buried the Giants by Halloween, Brian Daboll’s team enters live action with more momentum than before. The defensive line has been the story: Abdul Carter’s one-on-one first-week shackling of backups soon gave way to work against Jermaine Eluemunor and the starting tackles, and the rookie’s combination of twitch and grit has convinced vets like Eluemunor of his All-Pro upside, says ESPN. At the same time, on offense, Wilson’s acrobatic deep throw to Nabers has made mundane 11-on-11 drills into must-see TV, signaling a new dimension of chemistry in just the right moment for preseason.

Topping it all off, the fight for playing time this Saturday is more than Campbell-cooked audition tapes. Instead, it’s about gaining confidence, establishing routines, and learning how to convert camp dominance into game-day production. If live preseason snaps are the dress rehearsal, Abdul Carter has already written his breakout role. When questioned about his first NFL live reps, Carter didn’t hold back. “I just want to play football, that’s all,” he replied, sounding more like a veteran pro than a first-year man in line for his initial preseason snap, according to the X video on the SNY Giant official account. That raw statement went unmissed, least of all by Coach Daboll, who dryly retorted with a “You think!? “ Camp play of Carter has drawn serious attention.

Unlike most first-year pros, Abdul Carter openly told Daboll he deserves playing time and took his case public with directness. Put that alongside the usual rookie modesty, and you understand why Carter’s letter to Daboll, on the mic for all media to hear, was a seismic shift. It is different to impress in practice; it is different to demand, loudly, the ball when the lights are on. Piling on from there is Abdul Carter’s method, which emphasizes an overall change in attitude among New York’s rookies: performance-supported confidence and an ability to speak up when called upon.

Abdul Carter dominates the Giants’ training camp

Even prior to pads falling, Abdul Carter had proven himself to be more than a project. He made head turns by dominating second-string linemen at the start of camp, then kept pace, and frequently got the advantage of the veteran starters in full-speed rushes, as per a recent news on the NY Post.

Those flashes of game speed gave Abdul Carter the leverage to publicly press his case: “It doesn’t count, but you’ll be on an NFL field for the first time… I’m excited.” In a sport where rookies traditionally nod and smile, Carter’s assertive tone marked him as someone who’s here to earn and claim by the real playing time. Of course, Daboll’s not about to hand Carter every snap. The veteran coach has prioritized workload management for rookie players, observing that preseason is useful but injury-prone, according to the New York Post. The Bills‘ own history of conservative preseason use, relying on joint practices more than live game reps, indicates he’ll balance Carter’s appeal with long-term health and growth, according to The Athletic.

Brian Daboll’s praise for Abdul Carter has been measured, but accompanied by cautions that everyone must prove themselves worthy of their time, the tone of a coach who wants to build his talent without exhausting anyone within the locker room, Carter’s rise hasn’t caused feathers to be ruffled; it’s raised the standard. Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux both anticipate a pass-rush unit that can drive games, and they’ve embraced Carter’s arrival, referring to him as a “dog” and being awed by his natural twitchiness. That older-acquired buy-in is important: it indicates that Carter’s outspoken insistence is not trampling toes but establishing the tone for a defense founded on relentless pursuit.

When his teammates witness a rookie openly speaking his mind, it reinforces a culture in which performance creates opportunity, draft status, and seniority notwithstanding. Abdul Carter waits to turn those training camp reps into game-day sacks, and the stage awaits him. His modest request of Daboll has become a pressure point on the preseason story of New York. Will the coaches give him the reps to fulfill his belief? And if they do, might this be the time Carter solidifies himself as not only a draft steal, but as a building block for the Giants‘ defense? Only the Friday night lights will reveal.