byJohn Schmeelk,Dan Salomone&Matt Citak

OTAs are in the books. All that remains of spring football is this week's minicamp before players break until training camp in late July. With that in mind, the Giants.com crew members discuss what they've learned about the team so far.

John Schmeelk:I'm anxious to see what defensive coordinator Shane Bowen ends up doing with the secondary. I interviewed more than 20 members of the defense at Media Day, and all of the returning players expressed how the playbook has been expanded with the influx of talent this offseason. It is easy to imagine the variable fronts Bowen can use with all the defensive linemen and edge rushers, but I am curious to see how he is going to use the secondary.

Two of the Giants' biggest additions in free agency both came in the secondary, and I think their additions can change fundamentally how the Giants run their defense. Adding Jevn Holland at safety as a truly interchangeable piece with Tyler Nubin will give Bowen the opportunity to use a lot more pre-snap disguises combined with post-snap movement to confuse opposing quarterbacks. With the pass rush expected to get into the backfield quickly, any hesitation from the quarterback could lead to sacks. Holland's ability to communicate should also help in this endeavor.

Adding Paulson Adebo at cornerback will open the pathway for more press-man coverage when it is needed. Adebo, Deonte Banks, and Cor'Dale Flott all have the length to play man-to-man defense, and I would not be shocked if Bowen leaned into a bit more in key situations on third down and other passing situations. The Giants have the personnel to rush four and blitz, and press-man should disrupt opposing receivers enough to give the front time to get home.

I have no doubt the Giants' front is going to be disruptive and get into the backfield, but their effectiveness is going to be linked to the secondary. They have the pieces necessary to provide the necessary backstop for the defense to succeed. I can't wait to see them do it in training camp.

Dan Salomone:As I wrote about inFact or Fictionlast week, Russell Wilson's effect really started to come to light the deeper we got into OTAs. Darius Slayton said there is "a lot of new energy" even though the Giants' returned most of their starters from a year ago. But that's what happens when you add a 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion at the most important position in all of sports. His leadership is felt on offense, on defense, on the field, and off the field. Most importantly, he can still sling it.

"His knowledge of the game has shown already," Slayton said. "Obviously, he has amazing talent with the ball. Accuracy, great touch on the deep balls. I don't really know that he's missed more than one or two deep balls this whole camp. He is really accurate, really smart. He's helped keep us in good plays throughout the whole camp. So, his impact has been felt for sure."

That sentiment is shared by other skill players.

"Even the first time we threw, me and Slay were both like, this is actually better than we expected," wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson said. "And so, we were ecstatic about it and couldn't be more happy that he's our quarterback."

"I think it's the energy he brings," running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. 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."

Furthermore, Wilson's gravitas has also extended to how Brian Daboll structured practice this spring, which 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."

Matt Citak:While OTAs served as a great chance for Russell Wilson and the rest of the team's quarterback room to start getting on the same page as their targets, it didn't do a whole lot for the guys up front. As we've said ad nauseam the last few weeks, with no contact allowed during the spring, it's tough to glean much information from the matchups between the offensive line and pass rushers. With that being said, one thing became abundantly clear as John, Dan and I stood on the sidelines for every OTA practice over the last three weeks the Giants' pass rush has the potential to cause some serious problems for opposing offenses.

We knew when the Giants drafted Abdul Carter third overall, adding him to a unit that already consisted of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, that the team's pass rush could be its strength this upcoming season. It's one thing to simply think it; it's another to see it starting to come to life. There were numerous plays throughout the spring that saw Carter, Burns and Thibodeaux all lined up on the defensive line, with one of them taking a spot inside. On just about all of these plays, at least one of the three ended up in the backfield. In fact, I counted several occasions where two, and sometimes even all three of them met for what would have been a sack. The craziest part? All of this occurred without Dexter Lawrence even on the field. With Lawrence and presumably Carter lined up on the inside, and Burns and Thibodeaux on the edge, the Giants will have four players up front that all have the potential to reach double-digit sacks. I'm not sure there's another team across the league that can say the same. Now, as good as it is to have a lot of potential, the only thing that matters is what the unit actually produces once the season starts. Well, the next step towards that will be at the end of July when the pads come on and the competition kicks up a notch.

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