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5 questions facing the Giants in training camp

Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

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The New York Giants were having a relaxing offseason until left tackle Will Beatty suffered a torn pectoral during a workout. Now the Giants have major questions on the offensive line and may be forced to task a rookie with protecting Eli Manning's blindside.

Speaking of Manning, he's heading into the final year of his deal with no sign of a contract extension. New York would surely like to get that taken care of sooner rather than later.

Here are five questions facing the Giants heading into training camp:

Can Shane Vereen unseat Rashad Jennings as the starting running back?

Shane Vereen isn't a workhorse back by any means, but his versatility could be attractive to Coughlin. One thing we know about the Giants head coach is that he is only going to give carries to running backs he trusts.

Rashad Jennings had trouble staying healthy last year and he has never run for more than 733 yards in a season. Meanwhile, Andre Williams is still struggling as a receiver and learning how to pick up blitzes. This could open the door for Vereen to swoop in and become more of an every-down back.

Vereen is also strong catching the football out of the backfield. This will be New York's second season under offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and the pass-happy attack is something that should allow Vereen to shine. The Giants will be hoping the elusive back can build on the career-high 52 catches he had last season in New England.

Who is going to play left tackle?

With Beatty out of commission, the Giants are forced to make a tough call at left tackle. They can either go with rookie Ereck Flowers or a shaky Justin Pugh. The ideal situation for New York would have been to ease Flowers in at right tackle and move Pugh to guard, but that's no longer an option.

Even though Pugh has the edge in experience, his play in his first two campaigns left a lot to be desired. If he doesn't have a phenomenal training camp, the Giants are likely to go with Flowers on the left side.

Pass protection has been an issue for the Giants over the last two seasons, as they've conceded 67 sacks over that span. Starting the campaign with a question mark around protecting Manning's blindside is not the optimal situation.

Will Eli Manning get a new contract before the season?

It's never ideal to have your franchise quarterback to play out the final year of his contract without an extension in place. The Giants find themselves in that scenario with Manning, who has continued to brush off concerns about a new deal throughout the offseason.

Contract discussions have yet to take place, giving Giants fans something to worry about if nothing changes before the start of the season. There's no indication, though, that the two sides won't eventually agree to terms on a new deal. Teams just don't let two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks walk away.

However, if nothing is settled before the start of the season, the contract talks will surely be a distraction for Manning and the Giants throughout the campaign.

Will Jason Pierre-Paul show up to camp?

Jason Pierre-Paul hasn't made an appearance so far this offseason and the Giants will be hoping that changes in training camp. Pierre-Paul has yet to sign his franchise tender and is looking for a long-term deal. He could show up at any point, but history hasn't been kind to those who miss a significant portion of camp.

Pierre-Paul recorded nine of his 12.5 sacks in his last five games of 2014, so the Giants will surely be hoping he can pick up right where he left off. The last thing the G-Men want is for Pierre-Paul, a typically slow starter, to have any unnecessary rust in his game.

Will Victor Cruz start the season on the PUP list?

All signs throughout the offseason have shown that Victor Cruz's injured knee has been progressing nicely and Tom Coughlin noted recently that he didn't expect the receiver to start camp on the PUP list. That's good news for the Giants and potentially great news for Odell Beckham Jr.

After taking the league by storm last year as a rookie, it's scary to think what Beckham Jr. could do with Cruz on the other side of the field occupying additional coverage. A healthy Cruz should also free up more space for Rueben Randle. If New York starts the season with a healthy Cruz alongside Beckham Jr., Randle should see a plethora of single coverage opportunities.

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