Malik Nabers Won't Rush His Return, Even With Week 1 Looming

The Giants receiver says he's "trending in the right direction" after his ACL tear, but insists the call on whether he plays Sunday is his to make.

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers has looked good this week in the limited viewing practice window afforded to the media, and he even insists that he feels good physically.

But what Nabers won’t say is if he’s going to play in Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, even if it’s just on a pitch count.

“It's a little hard to say,” he said when asked if he was confident about being ready to play. “I'm just focusing on today. I had a really good day at practice. It's moving well, trending in the right direction.”

Nabers has continued to insist that he will decide when he returns to the field and that he will listen to his body.

He has been able to take part in contact drills in practice, but noted that game speed is very different from the controlled environment in which he’s been working the last few weeks.

“The game speed is different. Adrenaline is flowing, bullets are flying. You make split decisions on what you want to do with your body,” he said, adding that the final decision will be left up to him. “We'll see what happens.”

It’s been a lengthy grind for the third-year receiver, but the light at the end of the tunnel has him excited about what lies ahead.  

“I grinded, prayed hard, put in a consistent amount of work,” he said.

“I did everything that I can to be in this position right now and be able to decide to play or not to play. If I am out there, I put in a great amount of work to know that I'm able to play and I'm able to do exactly what I know I can do and will do.”

While Nabers admitted to being excited for the start of the season and the prospect of playing, he wasn’t going to let emotion rule over how he feels physically.

“I've been wanting to play for so long now, but at the end of the day, I can't put my career at risk. I've got to take that into account,” he said.

“There's a lot of football that I still have left to play. So, making a split decision on when I think I'm able to go out there and perform rather than just going out there, I think the coaches know that.”

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