This time last year, nobody was talking about Malik Nabers playing Week 1. They were talking about whether he'd play at all in 2026. Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 4 of last season against the Chargers, then needed a second procedure this spring to clean out scar tissue that was limiting his range of motion. That's the kind of setback that turns a "nine month recovery" into a real question mark, and there was genuine chatter about the Giants opening him on PUP or even stashing him on IR to start the year.
So day one of training camp mattered more than a normal day one usually does. And by all accounts, it went about as well as it could have. Nabers was out there running full routes, working through individual drills, and cutting without any visible hesitation, according to beat reporters on hand.
Nabers catching passes from Jaxson Dart on the first day back on the practice field.
For context on what the Giants are trying to protect: Nabers wasn't just some rookie flier last year. He caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2024, setting the franchise record for receptions and breaking Puka Nacua's rookie wide receiver mark in the process. That's the receiver New York lost for the final stretch of last season, and it's the receiver they need paired with Jaxson Dart if this offense is going to look like anything in year one of that pairing.
The early reviews leaned encouraging rather than just "he's moving." One beat writer's report specifically called out that Nabers went through individual drills at full speed and made a couple hard cuts, while noting the expected caveat — burst isn't fully back yet, which tracks for a guy this many months removed from a second knee surgery.
A rundown of what Nabers actually looked like in individual drills on day one, cuts and all.
The headline reaction, though, came from Adam Schefter, who doesn't usually put his name behind optimism unless he's got something to back it up. Schefter framed Nabers as a receiver "tracking to play opening night" against the Cowboys — which, if true, would mean the Giants dodged the IR scenario entirely and get their best offensive weapon for the marquee Week 1 matchup.
Schefter's take after watching Nabers' first day of camp work.
On the first day of training camp, Malik Nabers looked like a wide receiver who is tracking to play opening night against the Dallas Cowboys.
None of this means Nabers is cleared for anything yet — day one in shorts isn't the same as full pads, and the Giants have been cautious with language around a knee John Harbaugh has called "not a simple" injury. But for a fanbase that spent the offseason bracing for a Week 5 return at the earliest, watching Nabers run and cut clean on the very first day is about as good a sign as they could've asked for.