With the clock winding down on the offseason program, coach Brian Daboll and players checked in with the media Thursday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

They will wrap up OTAs on Friday, hold a minicamp next week, and then break until training camp starts in late July.

Here is everything you need to know from the media sessions:

Giants have 'new energy' this spring

Darius Slayton held court at the podium today with the energy that doesn't always match a seven-year veteran. Springtime is for looking forward, not backward.

"I definitely think that we have a lot of new energy, period," Slayton said. "Just in the quarterback room, in the receiver room. We've had some of our young guys, UDFA guys who came in and played really good ball. So, I think that's probably part of it. Now I'm older, just kind of feeling the youth, life of youth around me."

Furthermore, it has validated his decision to re-sign with the team that drafted him in 2019.

"For sure," Slayton agreed. "Obviously, I came back, I was confident in the direction that we were going to go in and obviously once we make the acquisitions, obviously a lot of people mostly focus on the quarterback position. Once we acquire the guys we have now, that obviously just raised the confidence level. We have a chance to be a really, really good offense."

Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who has only one year under his belt, feels the same way.

"I think that we have some people out there that want to be leaders and want to be vocal and speak up, and I think that's the thing you need on a winning team," Tracy said. "And I also think that everyone's buying in. I think that from top to bottom, best player to the last person on the roster, whatever it may be, I think everyone's buying in and we've got a good team ready to go"

Russell Wilson is a catalyst for his new team

From organizing team dinners (and paying for them) to commanding the huddle and meetings rooms alike, quarterback Russell Wilson is a big reason for the optimism as he has lived up to his reputation as a driven leader.

"I think it's the energy he brings," Tracy said. "Every time he walks into the meeting room, he greets everybody. It starts with that. You know what I'm saying? That is the main thing that I see. Russ, he's very intentional in what he does, he speaks to everybody. Again, no matter if you're the starter or you're number three, whatever it is, he treats you like you're the starting person. But he also gives confidence in you. He speaks life to you. He comes in the huddle, lets us know, 'Hey man, we've got this. Let's go.' He's a great, phenomenal leader. He's very vocal and he lets us know that there are going to be mess-ups, but that's what practice is for, and we move on to the next play. He's a true professional."

As for that dinner…

"Hey man, I'm not a big splurge, but he definitely hooked us up, to say the least," Tracy said. "He hooked us up. I saw some food on my plate that I (had) never seen before."

Wilson's gravitas has also extended to how Daboll structured practice this spring, which has included more 7-on-7 reps.

"I think it's important to listen to the quarterbacks," Daboll said. "They're the ones that are touching the ball on every play. Certainly, he has a lot of accolades behind his playing career and experience, it's been good. And Jameis (Winston) has as well, and (Tommy) DeVito, and even Jaxson (Dart), when you're in that room and you're talking to those guys, they see things from a wide scope perspective and bring things up and there's a lot of good communication. So, I think it's important to really talk and communicate and listen to any of the quarterbacks. But Russ has been good for us, I'd say, in a number of ways since he's been out here."

Speaking of that quarterback room, Slayton had the best description of it yet: "It is an interesting compilation of individuals, but Jameis and Russ are that veteran presence. Jameis is a wild card though, just as a human being. So having his personality around is amazing, but also, they both have great presence and leadership about them. You see the – age is probably a little rude. The seasoning in both of them, the veteran leadership they both have. And also you have Dart, kind of the young kid, he's kind of learning to find his way, but he has two good mentors to learn from."

Giants to hold home & away joint practices with Jets: 'Good for both teams…good for the fanbase'

The Giants and Jets will meet for two joint practices this summer, one at each team's respective training facility, ahead of their annual preseason game at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16 (7 p.m. ET).

While the time and dates are still to be determined, the Giants will host one of the joint practices at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and the Jets will welcome them 30 miles west in Florham Park.

This is the third time the Giants and Jets will practice with each other in Daboll's four seasons. The Giants hosted in 2022, the first time the interconference foes met on the practice field in 17 years. The Jets then returned the favor heading into the 2024 campaign.

It will be the fifth round of joint practices overall under Daboll. The Giants also practiced with the Lions in 2023 (in Detroit) and 2024 (in East Rutherford) ahead of their preseason matchups. The Lions' defensive coordinator at the time was Aaron Glenn, who is now the first-year head coach of the Jets.

"I have a good relationship with AG," Daboll said. "Known him for a long time. Obviously, he was with Detroit the last couple years and him and I have a good working relationship, a good personal relationship as well. It was good to sit down and kind of iron through some of the things that we wanted to get done, logistics of it. We're going to do one practice at their place. We're going to do a practice here. We thought that would be good for both teams. Kind of traveling a little bit, good for the fan base. So, it was really easy to work with AG and those are competitive days and good for the team."

The Giants open the preseason in Buffalo on Saturday, Aug. 9 (1 p.m.). They will be the "home" team against the Jets on Aug. 16 before hosting the Patriots in the preseason finale on Thursday, Aug. 21 (8 p.m.).

Malik Nabers will be OK as he progresses through toe issue

At the beginning of OTAs, Daboll said they would be "mindful" and "smart" with Malik Nabers' toe issue, which he has dealt with since his days at LSU. Last year's sixth overall draft pick, who set the franchise reception record as a rookie, has been mostly relegated to work with the trainers. Nabers will also often stand behind the line of scrimmage with the coaches and quarterbacks to hear the play call during team drills.

"He did a little bit of walk-through here, but he's progressing," Daboll said. "He'll be okay."