The training camp stands were being disassembled while the Giants practiced Tuesday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

Fall is coming.

With summer all but done in a football sense, the next step is wrapping up the preseason on Thursday night at home against the Patriots. The Giants will announce their initial 53-man roster, along with 31 other clubs, by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and then it's all systems go for Sept. 7 at Washington.

Hitting another summer checkpoint, assistant general manager Brandon Brown took the podium to discuss the state of the roster heading into the next campaign.

"When you talk about the roster, the biggest thing you can point to is the depth we have, the versatility we have," Brown said. "Look at the offseason construction. There was an emphasis on rush and coverage. Rush and coverage is going to age well and lend to an identity. Whether it's adding Abdul [Carter], adding Chauncey Golston in free agency. We talked about adding Jevón Holland and Paulson Adebo, creating more turnovers on the back end along with getting after the quarterback."

Speaking of going after quarterbacks, the Giants acquired theirs for the present and future.

"I just think what Russ [Wilson] has been able to do from a leadership standpoint on the offensive side of the ball, there's been a young group that's been able to mature with him," Brown said. "He can speak from having a championship pedigree, being in these high-pressure situations, and not just someone who's talking about it, he's lived it, and he's bringing guys along. Along with, he's playing for legacy, and at the same time too, he's helping develop the young guys that are around him in all the other position rooms."

His room, though, is the one getting the attention.

Rookie Jaxson Dart has learned from the veterans around him while having the benefit of developing at the pace set by the staff, namely coach Brian Daboll, assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney.

"The process for Jaxson has been really clearly laid out from all the touch points we had with him through the spring," Brown said. "We knew what we were getting. It was playing to his strengths right now. Whether it's playing with pace, his ability, you've seen it last preseason game, to manipulate his arm slots in the screen game, throw with touch, and just improving on the other nuances of the fundamentals. Obviously, our offense is not the easiest, but what he's able to do in terms of on the daily to get tutelage from Russ and Jameis [Winston], we can bring him along at the right, call it pace, where we don't have to force him into scenarios that he's not comfortable with."

Those situations are becoming hard to find. The Ole Miss product has turned heads with his moxie as much as his physical talent.

"You see it from OTAs to minicamp to early training camp to the preseason games," Brown said. "It's just a comfort. The game is slowing down for him, and I just think from the rhythm and pace that he's playing with and the tempo that we're able to push, it all lends to his strong suits. Then really having been able to even unlock all the athleticism that he has as a runner. You don't see a lot of the RPO and things of that nature that he's able to do as well. So, we're excited to continue to progress and develop him. Dabs, Kafka, Shea, they all have a plan, and it's right on pace. We're happy with where he's at, and he's encouraged. Guys cling to him. We talked about it last time. He's got a kind of swagger and aura and element to him that he's the everyman. He can connect with the skill guys, to the linemen, to the receivers, to the DBs, and it doesn't matter old, young, or vet. He's got that cool way about him that guys cling to."

Brown touched on a variety of other subjects during his press conference.

📰 Roughly 1,200 players will be released heading into Labor Day Weekend. With the Giants picking third in the waiver claim order, which opens at noon on Aug. 27, it will be an especially important time.

But their needs are a little different than the first year of the current regime in 2022.

"When you look at the cut-down scenario, our process is never going to change," Brown said. "Obviously, we're third in the claim order, but our needs are different than they were in year one when we had heavy claims and were more so purging the roster. Now, we're always trying to canvas where we can make incremental improvements. If you look at roster spots, call it 46 to 53, where there is opportunity for improving and creating competition on the back end, whether it's a special teams role, whether it's a depth role, whether it's a depth versatility role, multi-position flex. And as we get out of this next game, figuring out where our guys stack, versus the other 31 clubs and what they have to offer on the waiver wire and then seeing what the best combination is for us going into that first week."

📰 On Winston's name popping up as a possible trade candidate: "I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant. With the way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional with the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul. Teammates love him, his preparation process, whether it's the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible study, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together, not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole. He's been comic relief, but he's also been a really good example of how to be a pro in handling your business in terms of prehab, rehab, postgame care. So, I'm happy he's here, and he's going to continue to do those things. He hasn't wavered and he hasn't been shaken by any distractions at all."

📰 One of the biggest competitions to track has been at cornerback between Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott. The winner will start opposite veteran Paulson Adebo, who signed as a free agent this offseason. Overall, Brown thinks the defensive backs room has raised its standard, which also included the addition of safety Jevón Holland.

The group is led by secondary coach/pass game coordinator Marquand Manuel, another newcomer.

"Marquand Manuel has been instrumental in terms of the approach of looking back for the ball, refining the press technique, and just certain things that Tae wasn't used to doing at Maryland," Brown said. "And then it's different going from our old scheme to [defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's] new scheme. We're excited for Tae. He's met the challenge. Dabs has heightened the accountability measures for that room, and we expect return. He's had a good camp, and it's really just not taking the foot off the pedal. It's constant competition every day, and nothing's going to be given to him."

Meanwhile, the Giants have created depth regardless of who wins the competition.

"Flott's been able to be a Swiss Army Knife for us," Brown said. "He can play on the outside, he can play some inside nickel. We can do situational matchups, whether it's a certain flavor receiver that we're going against that Tae's going to match up with, with his height, weight and speed ability. Flott has high IQ. There are certain things that each guy does well, and it's our job to maximize and put them in the right position to be successful. And when you look at what Flott's done in terms of from year one to now, he's got his weight up. There's been situations where coming in light, being a young guy coming out of LSU, there's been some situations where he's had to really battle being a physical guy at a lighter weight. Now he's got a little bit more armor on him and just consistency. Again, the accountability measure is up. Neither one of those guys wants to miss practice. It's almost an iron sharpens iron scenario where every time they have a good rep, the next guy is cheering for them, but they know they have to step their game up and produce another good rep themselves. It's been a really good, spirited competition and we know however it shakes out we're going to have great depth."

📰 On the state of the offensive line: "Getting [left tackle Andrew Thomas] back has been a big thing. I know you guys see him out there today, and he's going to be an anchor for us. Just the strides that JMS [John Michael Schmitz Jr.] has taken, his hand placement being better. Getting a healthy Jon Runyan Jr. Then just look at the depth we've been able to create in terms of bringing in Marcus Mbow, bringing back some more guys from last year, GVR [Greg Van Roten] being really the straw that stirs the drink from the character morale standpoint. Doing a lot of the off-field things that aren't seen, from the O-line dinners to the extra film sessions. He's been really the torchbearer in that group that carries a heavy voice. The synergy is really cool to see."

📰 Is there anything they discovered about Dart that they didn't already know? For starters, he leaves voice notes for himself and does yoga.

"With Jaxson, we put so much time into him in the pre-draft process, there really haven't been any surprises," Brown said. "But I think the cool thing is seeing the way he preps in real time. I mean, he squeezes all the juice out of any type of methods. Whether it's creating voice notes for himself, finding little incremental times where we may be on the bus, and he's creating voice notes for himself, and listening back to him on his headphones, always just trying to time to get better. The little things, I didn't know he was a yoga guy, and him and Jameis do extra mobility things in the weight room late at night. We have a nightly walk-through at 6 p.m., and he's in there at 7:30 p.m. with Jameis. The everyman aspect, that was expected. We knew the magnetic personality he had, his work ethic, but just the little wrinkles in terms of how that work ethic has materialized has been really cool to see."