Well Giants fans, we are officially back.

The team took the field Wednesday at the Sports Performance Center at The Greenbrier for the first practice of training camp. Unlike with their typical practices back home with a look at MetLife Stadium behind them, the backdrop for today's session was a bit different.

"I sure appreciate you being here in this beautiful setting," coach John Harbaugh said after practice. "This is a really, really great place. I was really, really happy with practice. I'm really happy with the situation as far as what we found here when we got here. Thought our staff did a phenomenal job, led by [assistant to the head coach/defensive assistant] Megan Rosburg and many, many others. Just did a great job of getting us on point. I just can't say enough about that. And then The Greenbrier people, too. So accommodating, so welcoming. Not just roll out the red carpet, but try to make it the most productive that they can for us. The fields are in great shape. Probably the number one thing is the fields and they are in a great shape. So, I'm really, really happy about that. And then the mountains are really incredible."

Prior to practice, general manager Joe Schoen met with the media to answer questions. Outside linebacker Brian Burns and quarterback Jaxson Dart also spoke to reporters after the session.

Here is what we learned Wednesday.

Update on Nabers, Skattebo

Before the team took the field, Schoen provided injury updates on a few key contributors, starting with wide receiver Malik Nabers. The star wideout has been working his way back from the knee injury he suffered during Week 4 of last season.

"We're going to see," Schoen said about Nabers returning for Week 1. "Again, this is day one here, so we've got a really good plan for him. The medical staff has a really good plan for him, and we're going to, always say listen to the patients. So, we're going to see how he reacts. And again, we got a good plan in place, so as long as everything goes as planned we'll listen to the to Malik and his body and again, hopefully he'll be ready and we'll see how it plays out. But no predictions right now, just because we have a long way to go, still a lot of camp."

"We'll see where he's at (tomorrow)," Harbaugh added. "Part of it will be that, how it feels, how it responds, how it reacts, all those things. I think our guys, our trainers and staff, will be monitoring. See how the knee responds more than anything. We'll just take it one day at a time. It was encouraging today."

Schoen mentioned that the 23-year-old has already been cutting and running routes, so his return to the practice field in some capacity is another step towards his eventual return.

"It was good, man," Burns said about seeing Nabers on the field. "I mean, it feels good. He's working to get out there with us. He's fiending to get back out there and make plays, but I just don't want him to rush it, so I'll be on him about taking his time, but it feels good to see him back out there."

"He definitely has a presence about him," Dart added. "There's an aura that he has on the field that is exhilarating. It makes me happy. It makes everybody happy just to see him out there."

The other big injury update was the return of running back Cam Skattebo, who took part in team drills after his general manager deemed him "good to go" for the start of camp.

"He'll be out here, he'll be ready to go today, and he'll be doing everything," Schoen noted.

Dart, Skattebo and Nabers played less than one half together before the wideout went down with his season-ending injury. A few weeks later Skattebo got hurt, thus cutting short his rookie campaign. With Skattebo back and Nabers on his way to returning, Dart can't wait to see what the offense could look like this year.

"It makes me really excited, that's for sure, because in the short time that we had, as me and Skatt were rookies, there was a lot of energy, there were a lot of explosives, and that's what kind of player he is," the second-year quarterback said. "He brings a completely different element to an offense. So, I'm really looking forward to the future, getting him back healthy, because I think the sky is the limit for what we can do."

Harbaugh is "all about ball"

While Week 1 may still be over six weeks away, the preparation for the season opener officially began today. Harbaugh expressed pleasure with the mindset of the team as they arrived for the start of camp. Everyone showed up "focused and determined to have a good start to camp," according to the head coach.

That is especially important at the start of camp as the players get back into the swing of things.

"We're chasing execution," Harbaugh expressed about their goals early in camp. "We're chasing execution. We're at a stage now, we're getting ready for the games. I mean, that's what practice is for. We're not here to practice. It's not a training camp exercise. We're here to prepare for the games that we're going to play. What plays we call, how we practice, all those things. We're not just running plays out here to run plays. That's why we want to keep our plays to ourselves when we're doing them out here. So, that's what we're evaluating, is our execution."

The team has already gone through the offseason workout program, so everyone is on the same page for what to expect from a Harbaugh-led training camp.

"We're going to be very detailed," Schoen said. "There's going to be a purpose to everything we do throughout each period."

This was noted throughout spring practices, as player after player talked about Harbaugh's attention to every detail. According to one of the veteran leaders on the team, this is exactly what you want from your head coach.

"He's intense," Burns said about his new head coach. "I mean, I knew that from his team meetings but, I mean Harbs, he's all about ball and that's what you want in a head coach. … That's who he is, he can't help it. He's got that intensity regardless. Enthusiasm I should say, not intensity."

"I love Harbs," Dart noted. "Just his intensity, his love for the game, his leadership. There are a lot of things that stand out as to why he's been so successful in this league. All of us are just focused on buying in and taking the necessary steps for all of us to grow each and every day. Just super pumped for right now and continuing to move forward with him."

Why West Virginia?

Due to the World Cup and renovations being done at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, the Giants moved training camp out of East Rutherford this year.

But how did they decide on The Greenbrier?

"A lot of it was different general managers or clubs or teams that even travel in season from West to East will stay here," Schoen said. "And again, once we did our research and talked to those coaches, and they talked about how easy it was to transition from plugging in your computer and you could watch the film, where they have a weight room, they have a training room, they have the space. The fields are excellent. The accommodations are great. So, for us, we looked locally at some places, and then we also looked down here, and this one just made the most sense for what our needs were. So, happy to be here."

The Greenbrier also provides the team with an opportunity to bond and build stronger relationships while getting away from any and all distractions.

"I was stoked just to come out here with the team," Dart said after practice. "It's a cool experience because in the league, there (are) so many external factors that guys have from the league versus from college, and a lot of guys have families and things that they've got to take care of off the field. So, I think that us just being able to come here for extended days and just being with one another, growing our personal relationships, but also having great communication from a football side. There's not a ton of things to do around here, so it forces us to be together, and we love each other as a team, so I'm really excited about it."

Odell has "looked good" in Giants return

The Giants brought back a notable player from the past during the offseason workout program in the form of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The move came following the season-ending injury to Gunner Olszweski, which led to the signings of three veteran wide receivers: Beckham, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios.

The addition of Beckham signals the return of one of the best wide receivers to ever put on a Giants uniform. But more importantly, it also provides Jaxson Dart and the rest of the offense with another weapon and veteran voice to lean on. Beckham is aiming to prove he has plenty of gas left in the tank, something Schoen alluded to when talking about the 33-year-old wideout.

"How well he moved," Schoen said on what he's seen from Beckham. "I would say after taking a year off, not being in the league in 2025, then our first workout, he looked good, probably needed to get in a little bit better shape. Brought him back again, and coach had challenged him and he was in better shape. So again, he can still get open, he's still got really good hands, catches the ball well. And again, he was there for a short time in the spring, so again, we'll see how this looks, and was in really good shape for the conditioning test, and excited to see what he looks like with more time around him."

"I thought it looked good, what I saw," said Harbaugh after practice about the veteran's first training camp session. "I'll get a chance to watch the tape after practice and kind of look at everybody in a little more depth, but I thought he looked good."