Teams are gradually tapering off voluntary activities and increasing mandatory ones. The New York Giants are scheduled to hold a mandatory minicamp next week, so they know who they will have to be ready for the start of the preseason.
On Friday, the NFL released its 2024 preseason schedule.
The Giants will host the Detroit Lions on August 8 at 7 PM ET, then face the Houston Texans on August 17 at 1 PM ET, and take on the New York Jets on August 24 at 7:30 PM ET. The Giants and Jets will play in the same stadium, although the latter will technically be playing on the road.
Detroit is a tough opponent that made it to the NFC Conference Championship last season and will be fighting like hell to have a chance in the big game, and the Texans are in a similar situation, so these two games will be good tests of how well the Giants do on the field.
But the rivalry against the Jets has always been there, and whether it’s preseason, regular season, or postseason, these two teams go all out.
Playing against the Lions and Texans will give Brian Daboll and the rest of the coaching staff ample opportunity to see what their players can do against quality teams.
The purpose of the preseason is not to win, but to ensure that the final 53-man roster is made up of players who are best suited to the strategy and format the coaching staff will employ. The more players are tested, the more accurate the coaching staff will be in knowing who will be selected.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire