After he spent most of the offseason in the slog of a grueling recovery process, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is finally close to making his return from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. But, with just over a week until the season opener, Nabers did not commit to being available against the Dallas Cowboys on the campaign's first edition of "Sunday Night Football."
When asked this week about whether he foresees playing in Week 1, Nabers indicated that he will take a cautious approach and not force his way onto the field if his knee is not ready.
"My mind is focused on playing the regular season, playing whenever that is and playing what team it is," Nabers said after Monday's practice. "I'm gonna be making sure that I'm ready to go out there and I'm healthy enough to play all four quarters; that nobody's gotta make sure I'm not in on every play or they have to make sure I got enough snaps to play or my snaps are limited. That's the main focus, is just trying to be out there as much as I can."
Considering the indications throughout the offseason were that Nabers was behind schedule in his recovery, it was a positive sign that he avoided the physically unable to perform list in training camp. In fact, he progressed to participation in team drills by mid-August.
To bounce back from two knee surgeries in less than a year is a big ask, though. Not only did he have his ACL reconstructed, but Nabers also underwent a full repair of his meniscus, which requires a lengthy and more arduous recovery period. The second procedure was to remove scar tissue which had caused stiffness in his knee.
Although he showed few ill effects in practice, there is still work to be done.
"The outside view, I might look 100%," Nabers said. "I make everything look well. Sometimes I run routes and I look on the internet, and I'm like, 'Dang, I was moving kind of crazy.' But when you're in your body and you're in it, you still have some things that you still gotta work on as a football player. You gotta be like, 'I don't feel right doing this cut,' or 'I don't feel right having been hit.'
"I want to be able to come out there and make no mistakes and just be able to fly around and do what I do. I'm getting there."
Nabers said he "feels good" but that he has not yet checked every box on the recovery to-do list. He was coy about what precisely he needs to prove to the team doctors and training staff before he and they agree that he is ready to suit up on game days, but it is "not really anything too big."
Will Malik Nabers return to elite form in 2026?
The last time Nabers was on the field in regular-season action, he was following up a tremendous rookie season with a strong start to his second campaign as a professional. He exploded for 167 receiving yards and two touchdowns two weeks prior to the injury, which hit in Week 4.
The sample size is still fairly modest at just 19 games, but when he is on the field Nabers is among the best receivers in the NFL. At just 21 years old, the former No. 6 overall pick racked up 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on a poor Giants offense and earned a Pro Bowl honor as a rookie.
The hope is that the serious knee issue does not disrupt what has been an electric start to Nabers' career. He said he does not view this as a situation in which his momentum has been halted.
"When I get out there, I feel like I'll be better than what I was before," Nabers said. "I put in work. I went through everything that I could just to get to this moment. I thought I would probably never run a route again just how stuff was going, but I made it here. I've been through the hardest stuff. So I feel like there's nothing in my life that I can't overcome. The step that I'm going to take forward is going to be better than before."
Considering he will be catching his passes from a rising standout quarterback in Jaxson Dart and playing in a more talented offense as a whole, Nabers will have all the tools necessary to get his career back on track.
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