WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — If you want to know how John Harbaugh knew Abdul Carter had a good second day of practice at New York Giants training camp, the coach shared a little behind-the-scenes insight.“He smiled a couple of times (Thursday),” Harbaugh said after practice. “That was the first time I’ve seen him smile since camp started, so that was good to see.”The truth, of course, is that no one in attendance on Thursday needed to see Carter’s face to know he had a good day. The second-year edge rusher made that plenty apparent with his play; he lived in the offensive backfield as part of an impressive showing from the Giants defense overall. He tallied TKTK sacks by my beat partner Dan Duggan’s count, and if a play broke down, there was a solid chance Carter was not far from quarterback Jaxson Dart.Why the Giants moved their training camp to West VirginiaCharlotte Carroll and Johnny SweetAnd if you somehow didn’t see Carter wreaking havoc on Thursday, well, you probably heard about it. From him.Carter talked a lot of trash during Thursday’s practice, especially before and after his reps against star left tackle Andrew Thomas.“Probably Abdul’s talking more, and Andrew is just kind of looking at him,” Harbaugh said.Thomas, a quieter presence unless it’s a cheap hit, stayed true to his character Thursday.“That’s all defenders,” Thomas said of the trash talk with Carter. “They make one play, and they are the best. You get a sack a game, you are an All Pro. I’m all about consistency. I love the competition. I want that. I never say much. I just speak with how I play.”But Thomas wasn’t too happy about what his play said about him on Thursday.“I never get excited when I lose,” Thomas said. “When it’s Sunday, it’s just us, obviously, I’m cheering for those guys. But in practice, I want to win every rep, just like they do.”Given there’s still extended time before the season-opener on Sept. 13 — heck, the pads haven’t even come on yet — it’s safe to expect there will be plenty more battles between the veteran left tackle and the blossoming pass rusher. Harbaugh sees that as a big benefit for the younger player.“It can help him a ton,” Harbaugh said of Carter. “Plus, they talk. It’s not just going against each other, but that’s where it starts. And then they talk about the plays afterwards on tape. They might talk a little bit at each other during practice, but afterwards they’re talking about the play itself and sharing ideas. And a guy like AT will give him a lot of pointers.”Thomas is already seeing growth in the early days of Carter’s second season.“He’s stringing his moves together better,” Thomas said. “He’s using his power more, and you can tell he just has a better understanding for different types of blocks, different types of attacks, recognizing play schemes.”That’s welcome news for the Giants. The No. 3 pick of the 2025 class, Carter was benched twice in three weeks for missing a team activity last season. But Carter’s rookie year ended on an upward trajectory. He led the league in quick pressures with 48, according to Next Gen Stats, and tallied a team-high 66 total pressures to go along with four sacks, per TruMedia. While those were impressive stats for the rookie, anyone who’s seen his explosiveness on display knows he’s capable of so much more.“I’ve seen an amazing work ethic and a really deep determination to do every little thing right,” Harbaugh said. “Very serious-minded guy.”Camp fluctuates with different sides of the ball having good and bad days, but Carter’s early dominant showings are a good sign for a defense that will be highly dependent on its star-studded pass rush, which also features Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Not only is it one of the most well-paid position groups on the team, but there are major question marks about the supporting cast, particularly along the defensive line and in the secondary. The line depth was thin before the Dexter Lawrence trade, and the Giants still can’t be completely confident in what they have at cornerback despite some recent heavy investment (both in draft capital and free-agent money). The pass rushers’ ability to apply quick pressure will only alleviate the time the secondary has to spend in coverage.But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, we’re just two days into training camp. The next, most important step for Carter is maintaining his explosive play down over down — first in training camp, then in practice and finally, once the season arrives.“Being a complete player on the edge,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll move him around, too. That includes even dropping him into coverage sometimes. All those things. Play the run, rush the passer, all the movements, stunts, things like that. Cover for guys on movements. All those things that he’s determined to do, I’ve heard him say it many times, to be a complete player.”