The Giants hired a rookie head coach to take over a young team that will be learning entirely new offensive and defensive systems. So this was probably a bad time for one of the strangest offseasons in NFL history.

That comes to a close on Friday for the Giants, as they officially wrap up their virtual offseason program. The next time they'll be on the field together will be the first time they're on the field together. And that won't be until training camp starts on July 28 - if it starts on time.

It's an understatement to say their offseason of Zoom calls left the Giants with a slew of unknowns. So with six weeks to go until the scheduled start of training camp, here are the five biggest unanswered questions so far:

Can Joe Judge coach?

He comes with strong endorsements from two coaching legends (Bill Belichick, Nick Saban) and is well-respected around the NFL. But the fact remains that he is a 38-year-old who has never been a head coach before on any level. The next time he directs a full team on the field even for a practice will be the first time. He hasn't even addressed his full team in person as a head coach yet.

Maybe that won't matter, but there does figure to be a learning curve. Every head coach, including ones who got their first top job with more experience than Judge, knows there were things about that job they never expected. And to have to do it in a fishbowl like New York? Don't assume it will be smooth.

Judge will get the benefit of his players and somewhat of a honeymoon from fans and press. But so did Ben McAdoo and that went south quickly. The Giants believe in Judge, but the fact is they don't know if they found the next Bill Parcells or the next Ray Handley. And everyone will be watching closely to find out.

Will Dave Gettleman's investment in the defense the last two years finally pay off?

The Giants defense was awful last season, which is really part of a larger trend. They've ranked among the nine worst defenses in the league five times in the last six years and seven times in the last nine. That's why seven of the 10 players Gettleman drafted last year were defensive players, and it's why he loaded up on defense in free agency this year, too.

It's hard to imagine the defense will be worse, but it certainly isn't clear how much better it will be. The addition of free-agent cornerback James Bradberry should help the secondary, but only if safety Jabrill Peppers return to health and the draft picks of cornerback DeAndre Baker and safety Xavier McKinney pay off. Free agents Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell should boost the linebacking corps, but will Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines step up to boost the pass rush?

It only works if young players like Baker, Carter, Ximines, and defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and B.J. Hill take big steps in their second and third seasons. Gettleman's fate may rest on that.

Is DeAndre Baker really 'scared straight' (and will he even play this season)?

When the 22-year-old Baker was arrested last month and charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault his attorney, Patrick G. Patel, said Baker was "scared straight" and "seems like a changed individual." He wasn't talking about just his life outside of football either. He was talking about his attitude towards football, which was questioned often last year.

Patel's belief is that Baker is ready to put any problems with his attitude and work ethic and willingness to learn the playbook in his rearview mirror. It's a nice sentiment, but it's one thing for a lawyer to say that while working to save a client's reputation, and it's another for Baker to actually do it. He was banned from the Giants' virtual offseason program after his arrest, so other than a few workout videos he posted on Instagram, there's nothing to really judge him on yet.

Of course, returning with a renewed attitude and trying to justify why the Giants traded into the first round to select him last year isn't his only issue. Though his attorney believes the Broward County (Fla.) prosecutor will drop the charges against Baker, it's not clear that will actually happen. So he's still facing a possible trial and maybe even jail time. And even if the charges are dropped, he could face an NFL suspension.

His future in the NFL - both immediate and long-term - is murky, at best.

Can anyone rush the passer?

The Giants are well aware that they don't have a good pass rush, but they still mostly ignored the position of edge rusher in free agency and the draft. Rather than address it head-on, they took a flier on linebacker Kyler Fackrell, that he can regain his 10 ½-sack form of two years ago. They also are hoping that Leonard Williams can finally add sacks to his repertoire or that Carter or Ximines can become dangerous off the edge.

That's a lot to hope for, of course. But maybe if new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's scheme can do what the scheme of his predecessor, James Bettcher, never did, they can at least sustain a decent rush. They never did that last year when they had 36 total sacks (22nd in the NFL), which is a big reason why their secondary was so strained and their defense often wore down late in games.

A defense certainly can play well without a dominant pass rush (The Jets, for example, ranked seventh overall in defense but had only 35 sacks a year ago). But it's not easy. At some point they'll need to develop at least one player that opposing offensive coordinators fear.

What will the new offensive line look like, and will it be any good?

After two years of talking about Hog Mollies and fixing the offensive line, Gettleman finally did something about it this offseason. He drafted two offensive tackles with his first three picks and another offensive lineman in the fifth round, plus he added veteran tackle Cam Fleming for some depth.

The draft picks are a good sign for the future, but what about for the now? Andrew Thomas, the fourth overall pick, figures to be one of the starting tackles, but will he start on the left side and move the disappointing Nate Solder to the right? Third-round pick Matt Peart isn't likely to help this year. But could fifth-round guard Shane Lemieux slide over and give the Giants their much-needed starting center?

Those are a lot of questions, and no real time to find the answers. Making matters worse, the line almost certainly will look a lot different in 2021, meaning this is still an early stage of the rebuilding project. A lot of pieces could end up moving around before this is over. So the only answer to the question of whether this line is any better than last year's line has to be: We'll see.

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