The Giants continue their preparations for the start of the season with a trip to Miami this week.

John Harbaugh's squad will partake in a joint practice with the Dolphins on Thursday ahead of Saturday's preseason matchup. This will provide a good opportunity for the team to get some reps in against a new opponent, both in game and controlled practice settings.

With less than two weeks to go until clubs must reduce their rosters to 53 players, this upcoming trip to Miami will be pivotal in the roster evaluation process.

Here are storylines to follow this week in Miami.

Going against a new team

Prior to Saturday's preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium, the Giants and Dolphins will meet for a joint practice Thursday down in Miami. This will be the Giants' only practice opportunity of the summer to go against a different opponent with a new scheme.

"I'm looking to get a good practice against a different team," Harbaugh told the media Tuesday. "You get an opportunity to go against different players, different schemes, and evaluate your guys along those lines. It's good. It's just nice to see a different format, different plays, different players. And it's fun. It's more interesting. It's not another practice day for the guys. They're going against a new team."

Many teams partake in joint practices each summer, which can get a bit heated. But going into Thursday's practice, both Harbaugh and Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley have mapped out exactly what they're looking for, and what they're not looking for, during the joint session.

"We'll have rules of engagement, we'll call it," Harbaugh said. "Talked to Coach Hafley. He talks to his team. We talk to our team. We have the same rules of engagement. And it'll be the same that we use in our practice. It'll be probably more to the quarterback. We'll emphasize protecting each other's quarterbacks even more, because as soon as somebody gets close, and the other team's going to talk about getting close, and we can't have that, nobody can get close to the quarterback. That's going to be a major point of emphasis. And we're going to stay off the ground, and we're going to be looking for no blindside shots of any kind. We're not looking for that."

Rookies continue to develop

Every rep the rookie class gets is important as they gear up for their first NFL season. The group made their NFL debuts last week against the Vikings, which saw some natural ups and downs for just about everyone across the board. The young players will have their next opportunity to showcase what they can do in Miami.

"A lot of guys stood out," Harbaugh said about the rookies' preseason debut last week. "In the draft class, we go through those guys. I think all the draft players played well, but they all had their ups and downs. Young players, there's so many of them to try to pick out. I would say this, things start to shake themselves out with the first game. You do start to see some things, different kinds of directions that either confirm or reinforce or start to change your mind or whatever and the picture starts to clear up a little more after the first game. Not completely, but definitely with those young guys that you're asking about. The picture starts to clear up with those guys a little more and we start honing in on what the roles are going to be possibly going forward."

Linebacker Arvell Reese, the fifth overall pick, played only 12 defensive snaps along with four special teams snaps, but he finished the game with two tackles (one solo). Despite the limited snaps, the 20-year-old put his skills on full display with a couple of strong plays.

"I thought Arvell played really well," Harbaugh said. "I didn't really see anything I didn't like. I don't think anybody felt that way. The one thing we probably had a problem with was he tried to put himself back in the game. Somewhere in about – I don't know if it was the late second or third quarter, he ran out on the field and we had to grab him and say, "No, we've got you out right now." So, he's ready to – he's looking forward to this week. I can tell you that."

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Malachi Fields showed why the team traded up to get him in the third round of the draft. The No. 74 overall pick ran only 11 routes against the Vikings but was targeted three times, catching all three passes for 34 yards and the team's only touchdown. The scoring grab came on a contested catch in the end zone on a scramble play from Jaxson Dart. As if all of that wasn't enough, Fields also contributed on special teams with a tackle.

"I thought he played all around really well," his head coach said. "He did some things on special teams, which was cool to see. He practices that every day really well. He blocked exceptionally well in the run game as a wide receiver in some of those insert blocks and going to get to safeties and things like that, tremendously. Thought he ran his routes really well. Even when he didn't get the ball, the routes were run correctly. Right depths, right amount of steps, right splits. All those things that make so much (of a) difference that, really honestly, we need to clean up across the board to present better pictures for our quarterback. He did all those things really well. He didn't play like a rookie out there. It was really fun to see. Now, hey, keep getting better."

Nabers returns to team drills

One of the biggest stories of the week has been wide receiver Malik Nabers' return to team drills at practice. The third-year wideout is working his way back from last year's knee injury suffered in Week 4, and while he has yet to be cleared for contact, participating in team periods was a big step in the right direction.

"It was good, felt good. Felt good getting some team reps, getting out there, catching the football…" Nabers said after Monday's practice. "I'm feeling good. Caught a couple of catches. After that, went and ran some more routes with the training staff. So, to keep my legs running, keep the same thing moving forward to getting more team reps."

After being on the field for 7-on-7 drills during Monday's practice, Nabers was back out there in team period on Tuesday. The star wide receiver was running with the offense in 11-on-11 drills, and during these two days of practice at the start of the week, he made a couple of athletic, leaping grabs. While the hope is that Nabers is on the field for the Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys, the Giants are continuing to take the situation day by day.

"The most important thing right now is my health," said the third-year wideout. "So, I'm taking each step accordingly and just making sure my body feels good with taking the next step week by week or day by day or whatever they want to do. So, just letting them know how my body feels just so I can take it more."

Thus far, Nabers has responded well to the increased workload at practice. But considering Thursday's practice is against a different opponent, the Giants have yet to decide if he will participate in the joint practice.

"I thought he handled it well," Harbaugh said after Tuesday's practice. "He looked good today. It was kind of a similar type of a load. They're adding reps to those, he had more reps in the team period than he had yesterday, so they're going to keep building on that. How much we do down there with him will be in question, just because you're going against a different team. So, we can't control the environment quite as well. So, we'll have to give that some thought."

Giants sign RB Najee Harris

The Giants made an addition to the running back on Tuesday with the signing of Najee Harris.

The veteran back spent his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he didn't miss a game across those four years. The 6-foot-1, 242-pound running back rushed for 1,000+ yards all four seasons, totaling 4,373 yards and 28 touchdowns on 1,112 rushing attempts (3.9 yards per carry), in addition to 183 catches for 1,174 yards and six more scores.

"He's an experienced back," Harbaugh said after they signed him on Tuesday. "Anybody that's watched him play knows what type of a back he is. He's a downhill runner, physical runner. I've played against him a lot. I have a good feel for who he is as a player. Everybody that's been around him, my brother, G-RO (Senior Offensive Assistant Greg Roman), (former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach) Mike Tomlin, love him as a teammate. So, excited for the possibilities."

Harris was added to a running back room that recently lost Dante Miller, who suffered a groin injury in the preseason opener.

"I want opportunity," Harris said after his first practice with the Giants. "I think this is a good opportunity here. I think the style of play that they're heading towards is the style of play that aligns with me. Harbaugh coming from the AFC North, me playing against him a lot of times, I know the type of style of football he wants. I think that we align with each other with what type of football we want to play. I think that just coming here is a good opportunity, and I'm willing to just put my foot in there and help out in any way I can."