Giants' Nabers 'looked good' in full practice return after ACL surgery

The New York Giants got an unexpected gift on the first day of training camp at The Greenbrier in West Virginia: Malik Nabers, their star receiver, was on the field running full practice drills. It was a moment that seemed uncertain just months earlier, when Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 4 of last season while jumping for a pass in quarterback Jaxson Dart's first career start. The injury was severe enough that he needed two separate surgeries—first to repair the damage, then in the spring to remove scar tissue and address stiffness that had developed.

Nabers, a first-round pick in 2024, was carted off the field at MetLife Stadium that day in October, the crowd going silent as fans braced for the worst. The path back from that kind of injury is long and uncertain. He spent the summer working with the Giants' medical staff, remaining in New Jersey while his teammates were scattered elsewhere. The team did not place him on the physically unable to perform list as camp opened, a signal that the organization believed he was progressing well enough to participate.

But seeing him actually out there, moving and catching passes, was something else entirely. Head coach John Harbaugh watched him work and offered measured praise. "He looked good," Harbaugh said simply. "He's got a process going." General manager Joe Schoen was equally cautious but optimistic, emphasizing that the team had developed a careful plan for Nabers' return. "We're going to listen to the patients," Schoen said, meaning they would monitor how Nabers' body responded to increased activity rather than pushing him toward an arbitrary deadline. No commitment was made about whether he would be ready for Week 1 or the first few weeks of the season. The organization was taking it one day at a time.

Dart, the young quarterback who was throwing to Nabers when the injury happened, seemed genuinely moved to have his receiver back on the field. On Nabers' twenty-third birthday, Dart posted a birthday message on Instagram, and on the first day of camp, he got to throw to him again. "He definitely has a presence about him," Dart said. "There's an aura that he has on the field that is exhilarating. It makes me happy. It makes everybody happy just to see him out there." Dart spoke about Nabers' approach to recovery with real admiration, noting how much the receiver had missed being with the team and how hard he was working to get back.

What made Wednesday's practice noteworthy was not just that Nabers participated, but that he went through the full session without limitation. For someone nine months removed from a serious knee injury requiring two surgeries, that was significant. The Giants' plan, as Schoen described it, was to bring him along gradually, listening to his body and adjusting as needed. There was no rush, no guarantee, no timeline. But there was also no doubt in the building that Nabers was taking his recovery seriously and that the medical staff had a solid plan in place. As training camp stretched ahead, the Giants would continue to monitor how he responded, day by day, to the demands of practice. The question of when—or if—he would be fully available for games remained open. For now, just having him out there was enough.