The New York Giants lost star wide receiver Malik Nabers for the bulk of the 2025 season when he suffered a campaign-ending torn ACL and meniscus in Week 4 on the same day that rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made his first meaningful start for the club.
Going off standard recovery timelines for such setbacks, Giants fans couldn’t have been blamed for assuming that Nabers is on track to be good to go for Week 1 of the 2026 season. It appears that might not be the case.
Malik Nabers’ status for Week 1 now in doubt?
“Malik Nabers is a major concern entering next season,” NFL/Giants insider Connor Hughes of SNY wrote for a mailbag published on Wednesday. “Seeing him walk around with crutches and a brace the final week of the season was alarming. It seems unlikely, although (general manager) Joe Schoen said it’s the goal, that he begins training camp healthy. The regular-season opener might even be pushing it.”
Not having Nabers available through early September could prove to be a brutal blow for Dart, as the two need to build chemistry now that the 2025 first-round draft pick is Big Blue’s undisputed QB1. Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that Wan’Dale Robinson led the Nabers-less Giants with 92 receptions, 140 targets and 1,014 receiving yards this season. Robinson is on track to reach free agency when the new league year opens in March.
How might Giants account for a lack of Malik Nabers later this year?
Some have speculated that the Giants could go big-game hunting and try to trade for wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who doesn’t seem to be loving life as a member of the Minnesota Vikings this winter. According to Hughes, it sounds like Giants fans should put such dreams to bed ahead of Super Bowl LX.
“The Giants will likely look to dabble in the second tier there, while targeting another in the draft,” Hughes added.
It will be interesting to see if Nabers or somebody else from the Giants addresses his recovery following Hughes’ update.