The New York Giants hope to turn a corner in 2026 after hiring John Harbaugh as their new coach in the offseason. However, the Giants might not have one of their best players at the start of the season.
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers suffered an ACL injury against the Los Angeles Chargers in September. Nabers, who underwent surgery and missed the remainder of last season, was expected to be ready for the Giants’ Week 1 clash in 2026.
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However, NFL insider Adam Schefter raised concerns over the Giants WR’s availability for Week 1 in Thursday’s appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
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“I just don’t like the way that any of this sounds,” Schefter said. “There’s a second knee surgery. There’s some scar tissue and stiffness that they need to address. It’s a complicated procedure. They don’t know if he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
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“It certainly sounds like, at the very least, Opening Night against the Dallas Cowboys at home is in jeopardy. And it almost feels like, at this point in time, that it would be more unlikely that he would play in that game than it is likely that he would play in that game.”
Nabers was selected with the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL draft and posted 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in a strong rookie season. He had 18 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games before his injury last season.
Giants coach John Harbaugh shares potential return timeline for Malik Nabers
Despite his season-ending injury last year, Malik Nabers is expected to play a big role in the Giants’ revamped offense under John Harbaugh. The New Giants coach addressed Nabers’ recovery on Thursday.
“He’s in the middle of it,” Harbaugh said on Thursday. “It’s such a hard thing. It’s an ACL, and whatever else he had in that knee [. . .] It’s not a simple knee [injury]. He’s in the slog of it, the grind of it, I would say. He’s fighting through it and he’s here every day working hard at it.”
Although Harbaugh didn’t “predict” a timeline for Nabers, the Giants coach expects him to join the team “sometime in training camp.”
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
