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Do the rear outside axle bearing cones on a dana 44 get packed with grease prior to being inserted into the axle housing?

Yes. And if you read your lube chart they get removed , cleaned, repacked every 12,000 miles. Look closely and you also notice an oil seal inboard of the bearing that is suppose to keep the rear end gear oil away from that bearing.

Exactly......I was reading the rear axle maintenance section in the 8015-2 manual and I saw the inner oil seal and the outter oil seal and the thing called a grease slinger......and...well.....duh.....I just wanted to make sure where the grease was going to be coming from. I'm guessing this is for grease that migrates down the axle shafts themselves? And just for my edification......the axle bearing cone is NOT pressed onto the axle, right? Thanks again for all your help.

I believe it's an interference fit and often requires a press to remove from the axle. The directions for greasing the bearing ire right there in the lube chart.

I just re-greased the rear bearings on my M38 project. The cones were very tight on the shafts and would have required a press to remove as already stated - so I left them in place. Note that when re-assembling, the grease slinger has a angle ramp shaped section that is mounted to the bottom of the axle shaft. The gaskets, slinger and axle flange, when properly aligned, all have a hole at the bottom so that any grease that gets extruded from the bearing can drain down and out of the axle and not contaminate the brakes. Good luck with your project!