Giants Still Believe Malik Nabers Will Be Ready for Week 1

The New York Giants haven’t given up hope of having star wide receiver Malik Nabers ready for Week 1 of the upcoming season, an occurrence which, if it happens, would be a big boost to the team’s offense.

General manager Joe Schoen, speaking with Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, in particular, said he is still optimistic about having Nabers for the Week 1 season opener against Dallas. But as Schoen has done all offseason, he also put a hedge in his statement, saying, “We'll see. He's trending in the right direction. Again, these things take time, so it's not instant. Every patient is different."

Head coach John Harbaugh, who last month sounded uncertain as to whether Nabers would be ready, also expressed a hint of optimism when he spoke to reporters in his final press briefing of the offseason.

“He said his plan is to be here most of the time; almost all the time, he'll be here, I believe. I don’t think he will be here all the time. He's going to be here a lot, working really hard. He's making really good progress right now. I'm very hopeful that he'll be back soon.”

Harbaugh added that Nabers has “made some real good progress” these past few weeks.

“Understand when you come back from a knee, he'll be back, and he'll still be building his way back to his ultimate full-strength self. But he's doing great. He's doing a great job,” Harbaugh said.

The Giants head coach, who said the team would be ready either way, clarified that he wasn’t less optimistic the last time he provided an update on the receiver.

“Like I said, it's a slog, it's a grind. He's still in the middle of it. He's probably not in the middle of it now. He's probably maybe 70 percent through. I don't know, something like that. 80 percent through.

“He's still grinding. It's going to be a grind when he starts playing again, too, to get back right.”

The physical part is just the start

Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) is carted off the field following an injury during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Besides the physical part, Naber will have to build trust in his surgically repaired knee, which can sometimes take longer than the physical part itself.

The receiver showed some signs of building trust in his knee during his appearance at teammate Brian Burns’s softball game last month. Nabers participated in all the activities and was even seen jogging, albeit gingerly, after getting a base hit.

In case he’s not ready, the Giants added veterans Odell Beckham JR, Braxton Berrios and JuJu Smith-Schuster to their receiver room, as there is a very strong possibility that Nabers will start training camp on the PUP list as he ramps up toward a return following a spring of absence from football activities.

Schoen believes that either way, the team will be fine, which will allow NAbers not to rush himself back.

"Do we have that true No. 1 alpha 22-year-old Malik Nabers out there if he's not available? No, but I think there's enough to go," Schoen told Epstein. “

"There's going to be a good competition at receiver throughout camp, but there's enough for me from the backfield, the tight end position; there's enough at receiver where we'll be able to move the ball and still be a productive offense – and it'll be a cherry on top if Malik's out there."

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