New York Giants defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson is getting prepared for his “contract year” in any and all ways that a player can in these times of crisis.
The former 2017 second-round pick out of Alabama is in the final year of his rookie deal and needs to prove to the Giants’ new coaching staff — and general manager Dave Gettleman — that he is worthy of a contract extension.
That is going to be difficult for Tomlinson to do. The Giants were scheduled to begin their offseason program on April 6 because they have a new head coach in Joe Judge. That obviously hasn’t happened and no one is sure when it will.
Until then, Tomlinson has to make do like the rest of the players in the NFL are currently doing and working out from home.
“I put on a mask to jog up and down the street, but I stay close to the house,” Tomlinson told the Daily News via phone this week. “It makes it a little bit tougher, but I’m doing interval sprints and stuff, so it’s not too bad… I’m staying indoors for the most part, unless I need to go to the grocery store. I pretty much have a gym in my garage now. I’m working out there. I’m running. And throughout the day I do some meal-prepping for the next day. And then a lot of video gaming.”
It isn’t going to be a baptism by fire for Tomlinson with the new coaching staff. Judge knows a little about Tomlinson from his close connection to Alabama head coach Nick Saban and his staff.
“I love Coach Judge,” Tomlinson said. “I could sense his energy already when I first met him before this started. I think everybody who’s had an affiliation with Alabama bonds a little bit. The first thing you say before anything is Roll Tide.”
Tomlinson will also have the luxury of familiarity with his new position coach, Sean Spencer, and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
“The crazy thing is he actually recruited me out of high school when he was at Vanderbilt,” Tomlinson said of Spencer. “I’m excited about him. Great guy, great energy. I got to talk to him before (the shutdown). I’m looking forward to working with him.”
As for Graham, Tomlinson doesn’t have to go back as far. Graham was the Giants’ defensive line coach in 2017 under Ben McAdoo when Tomlinson was a rookie. He knows his modus operandi.
“Attention to detail,” Tomlinson said of Graham. “He’s gonna critique you, help you grow as a player and as a person off the field, too. He wants the most out of every one of his players. He’s going to push you and get the full potential. He’s great at developing players.”
Even though Tomlinson was a Jerry Reese draft pick, he needn’t worry about wooing Gettleman too much. He very much on the forefront of the GM’s mind.
When talking about the team’s long term plans on a conference call with reporters this week, Gettleman included Tomlinson on the list of core players he hopes to build around.
“Part of the tight rope that I walk on is short-term and long-term,” he said. “Part of the long-term is we have some good, young players right now. We’ve got Dalvin Tomlinson, (Evan) Engram and (Jabrill) Peppers. We have to make decisions on them,” Gettleman said.
And Tomlinson wants that decision to be one that keeps him Blue for a long time.
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