Following a walkthrough practice on Tuesday, the Giants were back on the field today for a full padded practice.

With the preseason opener now just a few days away, preparations have started to kick into high gear.

Giants coordinators Mike Kafka, Shane Bowen and Michael Ghobrial spoke to reporters before practice. That was followed by quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver Malik Nabers meeting with the media after the session.

Here is what we learned Wednesday.

Kafka: 'Jaxson is right on schedule'

Following the selection of Jaxson Dart in the first round of the draft, it became clear that the rookie quarterback's development would be a big storyline throughout the year. Dart is now two weeks into his first NFL training camp, and as one would expect for any first-year quarterback, he's had his ups and downs. But perhaps just as important as his play on the field has been his growing comprehension of the offense, something that assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said has been evident.

"I'd say Jaxson is right on schedule from what we'd expect in terms of just understanding the offense, continuing to grow and learn every day," Kafka told reporters. "Every day we're presenting him – not just him but all the quarterbacks – with different situations and some situations you've probably never seen before. Those have been good to build off of, whether it's in two-minute, whether it's a third-down situation or a certain blitz look that we're getting, he's able to kind of grow and learn from those examples and now as he starts banking more and more looks, more and more reps – we do a lot of this throughout the walkthrough as well, he can kind of see – now he's starting to put the picture together a little bit better and cleaner for a rookie."

While we do not yet know which players will take the field this Saturday in Buffalo, it seems fair to assume that Dart will see some playing time, which will be his first NFL action against another team. Kafka shared some of his advice to the 22-year-old quarterback with the media ahead of the signal-caller's first game. More so than anything else, he wants Dart to go out there and simply be himself.

"Like any position, just operating within the confines of the offense and going out there and playing confidently, being decisive, command the huddle," Kafka said on his expectations for the rookie this weekend. "I think for Jaxson, for a young player – I know from my experience, it was getting young guys who probably never played as well – he's out there calming them down and having great poise and great confidence and and then just going and playing football. It's a game you love and you know, you've been playing it for a long time. My biggest piece of advice is just go out there, enjoy it, play, have fun and go be aggressive."

Bowen on CB2: 'Competition's been good for both of them'

The Giants went out and boosted their secondary in a significant way over the last two offseasons. Safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Dru Phillips were selected on Day 2 of last year's draft, while veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevón Holland were signed towards the start of free agency this past offseason. Those four defensive backs will play key roles on the defense this year, but who lines up with them as the fifth DB remains up in the air.

One of the biggest positional competitions heading into training camp was for the outside cornerback spot opposite Adebo, with Deonte Banks and Cor'Dale Flott both vying for the spot. With the entire preseason still to come, it's far too early to tell which young corner might win the spot to start the season. Both Banks and Flott have come up with some big plays over the first few weeks of training camp, and the competition between the two over the next month will be one of the biggest things to keep an eye on.

"I think they're both doing a really good job," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. "Obviously, Flott's missed a little bit of time here the past couple days, but I think they're doing a really good job. I like the growth of Tae. I think competition's been good for both of them. I really do. But you're seeing Tae battle and going up against Malik and finding ways to get PBUs and some other guys. He's been able to get his hands on footballs more, I feel like, this early on in training camp, we're ten days in, but early on, more so than what it was last year. He's working. He's working. He's competing for the job. He's trying to earn it, just like everybody else is trying to earn their play time.

"I thought Flott was doing a really good job. From the spring to now, he was probably one of the guys that had the most pass breakups. So just continue that competition. The versatility is no different than all these other positions. There's going to be time and place where the numbers kind of shrink and we've got to figure out ways of how do we fit based on who's available and who's not. So some of the versatility stuff is going to come into play as well."

Nabers growing as a leader

We all saw what Malik Nabers is capable of on the field throughout his historic rookie campaign. With his 109 receptions (and in only 15 games), Nabers set not only a rookie record, but also a new franchise record for catches in a season. It didn't take long for the young wideout to establish himself as one of the league's top wide receivers. Heading into Year 2, Nabers said he has been more focused on working on himself off the field as he steps into a leadership role in the locker room.

"It's just being more vocal about just getting guys ready to go or making sure we're on the right path to what we want to accomplish, and I have to sometimes get out of my mode," Nabers told the media. "I talk to myself a lot. I talk to myself in my head, and I'm always quiet a lot, so sometimes I have to step outside of those boundaries and get guys riled up and get them going, get my receiver group going, and that's just a part of just being a leader and just wanting to be better for my team."

"Malik's done a great job just his leadership, his voice in the film room too," Russell Wilson added. "He's done a great job with that. I've been telling him that the more he communicates what he sees and feels, not just to us quarterbacks but really to the group as a receiver and we're all want to be on the same page. I think he's doing a great job of that. He's really just stepped into that role, the leadership role."

While his first NFL season was quite impressive, Nabers would be the first to tell you that it wasn't perfect. The star receiver focused on cleaning up some of the "little mental errors" throughout the offseason, he told the media on the first day of training camp. Through the first few weeks of camp, his focus and attention on the little details have been on full display, according to his offensive coordinator.

"Malik has a growth mindset," said Kafka. "He's continuing to grow and learn and get better and master his craft, whether it's as an outside receiver, as a slot receiver, in the run game. I think he's just taking a really concerted effort of being really detailed with those things. I think you're seeing it with those splash plays and the ability that he has but I think there are other elements to it. It's running off on a screen and collecting two DBs down the field, now those guys are out of the play. It's those little details that maybe don't show up on the stat sheet – that, to me, I'm probably most proud of him."

As for what he can accomplish this season, his new starting quarterback believes the sky is the limit for the 22-year-old.

"You see it on film," Wilson said. "I mean that was first thing I told you guys when I watched him on film – watching all the cutups of him and all the cutups of the guys and all the plays, all the games. It was just his explosives and once he catches the football and there's only so many people in the world that can do it like he can and I think that he's one of the best in the world to do it. He's going into a second year of it all and it's all fresh and all new, but he's definitely experienced in terms of how he sees the game, his mentality attacking the football in the air. You guys have seen all the explosive plays he's made down the field, also even underneath and all the things he's done too as well and it's going to be a special thing. I'm excited to play with him, obviously…

"Malik is world-class at what he can do. There's nothing really he can't do."

'Excited to see' what Gano can do

Kicker Graham Gano got his Giants tenure off to quite a strong start back in 2020. The veteran kicker connected on 31 of 32 field goal attempts, including five from 50+ yards, while playing in all 16 games. He appeared in every game over the next two seasons before enduring back-to-back injury-riddled campaigns, which forced him to miss a combined 17 contests over the last two years.

After missing Weeks 3-9, Gano returned for the final eight games of the season last year. The 38-year-old was a full-go for the offseason workout program and has been on the field for every practice since the start of training camp. Heading into the season healthy, Gano's special teams coordinator believes the veteran will look like his old self in 2025.

"From what I've seen, Graham has looked, I thought he played his best ball towards the back quarter of the season," said Michael Ghobrial. "And it looked like he was the Graham Gano that everybody knows. A very successful veteran kicker that has the clutch trait, that's weather tested, that has good range, good accuracy, and good operation time. And we saw that towards the back quarter of the season.

"And then when he came back, you always wonder where a guy is with his kicking shape, and he showed up ready to go. He looked like the Graham Gano that we all know. He kicked well in the off-season, and he's kicked well in training camp. Health-wise, I'm excited to see what he can do. I know he takes care of his body, and that's something he stays connected to. And he's done a great job for us."