The Giants didn't just take the field for OTAs on Wednesday; they also took the podium.

Brian Daboll spoke to the assembled media before practice, providing injury and personnel notes to track in addition to what the head coach wants to get out of the spring. Players then met with reporters after OTA No. 2, including linebacker Bobby Okereke, offensive linemen Greg Van Roten, and safety Jevón Holland.

Giants are being 'mindful' of Malik Nabers' toe; 'smart' with Andrew Thomas

The Giants have had "great attendance" for the offseason workout program, which began April 21 and is divided into three phases from strength and conditioning to installation and on-field practices.

"Everybody's here today," Daboll said. "Not everybody will participate, but everybody is here."

That list includes wide receiver Malik Nabers, who made the Pro Bowl and set the franchise single-season reception record as a rookie. Last year's sixth overall draft pick has been limited to just catching the ball this spring due to a toe issue, which he has dealt with since his days at LSU.

"We're being mindful of his toe that he's had," said Daboll, who added that the wide receiver did not require a procedure. "Nothing serious, but we're being smart with him in terms of the rehab part of it. So that's where we're at."

The Giants are also being smart with Andrew Thomas after the left tackle was limited to six games in 2024 due to a Lisfranc injury.

"Some of these guys were, again, each of those players have individual rehab plans," Daboll said. "It's May, so it's important that they progress so we can get them ready for training camp here and if they're ready to go later on in this process, then they'll do what they can do."

There is a 'detailed plan' for all the QBs to get reps

The Giants opened spring ball with a four-man quarterback room, which includes three newcomers. They will all get reps at various spots, according to Daboll.

"We have a detailed plan of how we're going to handle the quarterbacks," the head coach added.

Russell Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion, opened with the first team, which the Giants have said all along. He was followed by former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston, rookie Jaxson Dart, and the lone returning quarterback in Tommy DeVito.

"Russ, he's been there, done that," offensive lineman Greg Van Roten said. "He's been the league a long time, competed at a high level – 10 Pro Bowls, Super Bowl, been to two, a lot of experience and he's just been a really good voice to have in the offensive room. As far as the little things where it's like, we'll watch a clip, he'll go back like, 'Hey, look at this over here, make sure we watch this.' Like no stone goes unturned with him and that's very important. I think a lot of guys this time of year are like, all right, it's OTAs, it's May, but that's not his mindset and that's going to trickle down to our offense and that's important with him."

Van Roten added: "There's a lot of personalities in that room. They're all different. Not that one's better than the other. Russ is definitely very detailed. Jameis is a great locker room guy. Tommy is Tommy. And then we're learning about Jaxson, seeing what he's all about. They all bring something kind of unique and special to the room, so it's going to be exciting to watch them kind of progress throughout the off season in training camp."

Evan Neal 'excited' for opportunity at guard

Evan Neal has started 29 games so far in his three-year NFL career, all at right tackle. That could change in the coming months. The seventh pick in the 2022 NFL Draft lined up at left guard on Wednesday, a place he has not started since he was named Freshman All-American in 2019 at Alabama.

"Evan's a smart guy," Daboll said. "He'll be out here today. We will work him at guard, and I know he's excited about the opportunity he has. … Look, he's a big man. He's got length. He's obviously a little bit taller than I'd say traditional guards, but he's played it. He's played a number of positions since he's been at University of Alabama."

Van Roten, a 14-year NFL veteran who has played every interior offensive line position, knows the challenges ahead.

"I've never played tackle in the NFL, so I can't speak to how hard that position is, but I played guard, and I played center, and I just know that inside, things happen faster," Van Roten said. "The guys are bigger and there's a lot of moving parts. If a defense is static, it's easy to play guard, but they're not static. They're very dynamic. And that's probably one of the challenges that goes kind of under the radar is how fast things can happen and how many things you need to be able to process in a short period of time. Whereas tackles, I think Shaun O'Hara said, 'They're kind of on the right side or left side of the highway and they're kind of worried about what's going on over there. When you're in the middle, there's a lot more you have to take in in a short period of time and it's not easy.' There's not a lot of starting guards in the NFL for a reason."

And defensive linemen these days, Van Roten said, are "not these big, fat slugs anymore."

Bobby Okereke helped recruit Stanford teammate Paulson Adebo, who is 'moving well' after fractured fibula

The first wave of free agency brought safety Jevón Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo to the Giants. The latter is coming off a broken femur, spoiling a 2024 season in which Adebo had three interceptions in seven starts for the Saints. Seven months later, he participated in OTAs.

"Moving well," Daboll said. "Looks good out here in shorts and t-shirts, but he has done a nice job in the things that we've done in phase two."

In the process, he reunited with former Stanford teammate Bobby Okereke.

"Paulson's like a brother of mine honestly, being a Stanford guy, a couple of offseasons we roomed together," the linebacker said. "He's a playmaker. He's a guy who gets picks. He's a guy who gets PBUs and he's the guy that flies around and tackles as a corner. So very excited to play with him."

That made it an easy recruitment.

"A little bit," Okereke said. "I mean they asked me for some references for sure, but they obviously did their due diligence and Paulson the same. … I don't even think we could have imagined this opportunity. I think we both look at each other during walk-throughs and during the plays and it's surreal that we're even playing on the same team. So, I'm excited. I still remember his freshman year, he had a diving one-handed interception against Cal Berkeley, and we were like, 'Bro, this is the greatest football player ever.' To play with him in the league, it's pretty surreal."

Daboll wanted to bring in more legends this offseason

In the past few weeks alone, the Giants have been visited by Lawrence Taylor, Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Howard Cross. Their rings certainly got the attention of current players.

"It's something I thought about at the end of the season, getting ready for this upcoming season, some of the things I wanted to do," Daboll said. "One of those was to bring some guys in, brought a number of them in. There will be another one here today. Give a good message about what it means to be a Giant for them and some different things that hopefully mean something to our players. Obviously, a lot of legends that have played the game for this organization and tremendous football players in the National Football League, and I have a good relationship with a lot of those guys throughout my time here and they're willing to come in and talk to those young guys. I think it's beneficial for them."

"It's great," Holland added. "I think they basically say – they've all won Super Bowls and have won a bunch of games – so they're just giving us the blueprint to what success is and what success was for them and how they got to it, which is great cause we're trying to win a Super Bowl, obviously. So yeah, I mean it's just giving us the baseline of where we need to be and what our standards need to be, and it aligns perfectly with what Coach Dabs has been saying, what our coaching staff has been telling us."