When NFL teams do finally return for training camps in late April, they will do so at their own facilities. And for the New York Giants, that means they will remain in East Rutherford at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, which is where practices have been held since 2003.
There had been some speculation that the Giants could find an alternate location for camp if New Jersey was unable to reopen as a result of the coronavirus, but those decisions were always far off anyway.
The league announced on Tuesday that all training camps are to be held at team facilities, adding that no joint practices will be permitted.
“The NFLPA was strongly in favor of these two decisions, which were made to limit exposure risks by avoiding the need for clubs to clean and maintain two facilities, by limiting the need for players and club staffs to travel to another location (sometimes located at a considerable distance from the home facility), and by limiting travel and contact between players on different clubs in the context of joint practices,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo. “These steps are being taken for the 2020 preseason to address the current conditions and are not expected to be in place in 2021.”
Although the Giants will not be limited due to the new location restrictions, it’s possible they had been planning some joint practices this year — likely with either the Tennessee Titans or New England Patriots.
First-year head coach Joe Judge comes from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, and joint practices have been a staple in New England. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had also adopted that policy, so it’s likely Judge would have followed suit.
The Giants are currently scheduled to play the Titans in Week 2 of the preseason and close out the exhibition season in Week 4 against the Patriots.
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