Giants Receiver Malik Nabers Full Practice Participant as He Inches Closer Toward Return From Torn ACL

The Giants' top receiver continues to fuel optimism that he could play Sunday against Dallas.

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is trending toward being active for the Week 1 opener. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers continues to take steps toward a return from the torn ACL he suffered last year in Week 4. Nabers, the Giants’ top receiver, was spotted on the practice field doing individual drills during the part of practice open to the media.

Both Nabers and head coach John Harbaugh have refused to confirm whether Nabers will be available for the regular-season opener Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Still, plenty of signs point in that direction.

Malik Nabers today at Giants practice pic.twitter.com/FgKjZZWJIY

— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) September 9, 2026

Nabers has not missed a practice all summer due to soreness or setbacks in his rehab, with his only absences being scheduled rest days.

Although he didn’t play in any of the team’s preseason games, Nabers has been gradually ramped up in practice, shedding the red, non-contact jersey three weeks ago.

Another potential sign is that the team decided to release veteran Darius Slayton from the roster this week, leaving them with four rostered receivers. However, they expect to add a fifth (Braxton Berrios) to the roster to handle kickoff and punt returns.

Even if Nabers does play Sunday, the expectation is that he’ll be on a snap count for the first week or so of regular-season play as he finishes his ramp-up period.

Head coach John Harbaugh refused to say if Nabers would play on Sunday night, at one point becoming agitated by the repeated questions.

"I can just say this right now. We can put a stop to all these questions because I'm not going to tell you who's playing in the game. I'm not going to tell you who's starting. I'm not going to tell you what package we have in. I'm not going to tell you what plays we're running. I'm not going to tell you any of that, okay?

"So, we can make it great and have a great press conference, or we can make it uncomfortable. But I'm not going to tell you because, you know, the Cowboys know, or every other team we play knows. And that's not in our football team's competitive interest. Does that make sense? You can respect that.

While Nabers is trending in the right direction, we will have to wait and see how much he does play if he does indeed get the green light.

Giants Practice Participation Report

Player, POS	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Malik Nabers, WR	Knee	Full
Andrew Thomas, LT	Knee	Full
Bryan Hudson, OL	Knee	Full
Theo Johnson, TE	Shoulder	Full
Shelby Harris, DT	Achilles	Full

Cowboys Practice Participation Report

Player, POS	Injury	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Ajani Cornelius, OT	Knee	Limited
Jonathan Bullard, DT	Groin	Full

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