Malik Nabers injury update: Giants 'hope' for Week 1 return, but 'not a guarantee'

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers might not be back from injury until Week 1, per the latest report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Nabers recently underwent a second knee surgery.

The former LSU standout had a torn ACL and meniscus, so there’s cause for concern in regards to his return. The second surgery shouldn’t impact his timeline for recovery, but Fowler didn’t rule out the Giants searching for other WR options in the meantime.

Nabers is trying to get fully healthy, so mentally, he’s checked in. But the Giants still don’t have a clear return date for their star wideout.

“Well, I’m told he’s been a fixture in the building, he’s trying to rehab that thing,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “The Giants don’t quite know yet whether he’s going to be ready for training camp or when. The hope is still Week 1, but that is not a guarantee. John Harbaugh, the head coach, said this week that it’s just a tricky injury because he had that second surgery dealing with some of the scar tissue, cleaning that up, and so they like where he’s trending, but it’s just one of those situations where they don’t know exactly when he’s going to get on the field. 

“That’s why they could maybe add a receiver at some point. You got Odell Beckham still out there, (maybe) talk to him.”

Nabers, of course, has proven himself to be one of the NFL’s best receivers. By the time his rookie season was over in 2024, Nabers had caught 109 of his 170 targets for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns.

He was doing a nice job following up on that in the start of the 2025 season before his injury. He had tallied 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games.

But in the second quarter of New York’s contest against the Los Angeles Chargers early in the season, Malik Nabers had to be carted off the field after attempting to make a catch over a defender. He clutched his knee upon landing, and armchair experts immediately pointed to his ACL.

After much conjecture and early reporting, an MRI confirmed the news. Nabers’ ACL was torn, and he would miss the remainder of his sophomore season in the league.

Before he was taken with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Malik Nabers starred at LSU, playing alongside Jayden Daniels. He posted two seasons in which he topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark.

As a junior in 2023, Nabers popped off for 89 catches for 1,569 yards and 14 scores. He would finish as LSU’s all-time leading receiver, racking up 3,003 total receiving yards.

For his contributions during the 2023 season, Malik Nabers received numerous postseason accolades. He was tabbed a unanimous All-American following the season, finishing as the FBS leader in receiving yards.

Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report