John Harbaugh admits Malik Nabers Week 1 availability is an uncertain goal

Pat Leonard, New York Daily News on May 21, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — The New York Giants’ goal with Malik Nabers is to get him back on the practice field during training camp and ready for their Week 1 regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

But they might not hit that goal right on the mark.

Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Thursday after the team’s third OTA practice that Nabers’ availability for the start of the regular season is uncertain, although Nabers is currently in the building rehabbing and striving toward that goal.

“If he’s out there, great,” Harbaugh said of Week 1. “If he’s not, great.”

The coach said Nabers’ surgery and recovery are “not a simple” knee rehab, given that doctors had to repair both his right ACL and meniscus. Then Nabers had a second surgery recently to clean up scar tissue, as The Athletic reported.

It seems clear that the Giants understand it would be wise to develop an offensive identity that does not lean too hard on Nabers, 22, who might not be on the field at the start of the season. That way when he does return, hopefully his explosiveness takes them from good to great.

“An ACL is a tough injury,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “But we’re gonna be ready for him when he comes back. Malik’s a game changer.”

With both Nabers and Darius Slayton (sports hernia surgery) not practicing, a ton of receivers had opportunities to catch passes from Jaxson Dart during Thursday’s indoor practice, from veteran Darnell Mooney to Ryan Miller.

Dart connected most consistently with the running backs, though, particularly Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary in the flats. The QB also found wideout Calvin Austin III twice, including down the right sideline to get in field goal range during an end of half situation.

Rookie Malachi Fields and speedster Xavier Gipson both had big gainers down the field thrown by backup quarterback Brandon Allen, while Mooney and Miller each dropped a pass from Dart.

Mooney said his role on this team is “to make plays and dominate,” regardless of what he’s asked to do or what the depth chart looks like.

D-Line still worth monitoring

Veteran defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris limped off the field on Thursday, and trainers seemed to be looking at his lower right leg or ankle. That was concerning because Robertson-Harris was the ranking member of the interior defensive line on the practice field.

New signings DJ Reader and Shelby Harris were not at practice, which is voluntary at this juncture. And new signing Sam Roberts had offseason surgery.

Dexter Lawrence’s forced trade out of town to Cincinnati depleted a unit that had anchored the worst run defense in pro football last season.

Harbaugh loaded up on linebackers with Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese, but those players won’t reach their potential this season if they aren’t protected by a physical, violent and formidable front.

So it will be interesting to continue to monitor attendance and performance at the position as this builds toward mandatory minicamp in June and training camp in late July.

Thomas managing ailments

Harbaugh said that the Giants are managing Thomas, their franchise left tackle, because he is being careful with shoulder and foot issues. Thomas said neither injury required surgery this offseason. These are just precautions for a shoulder ailment that he battled last season and for the Lisfranc injury in his foot that shut him down in 2024. Still, it was noteworthy to see second-year tackle Marcus Mbow receiving opportunities while Thomas stayed out of team reps. Harbaugh said Thomas practiced two of out three days this week as part of a steady ramp-up toward the season … Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt rode the bike during the team period of practice after appearing to tweak something earlier … Safety Jevon Holland was asked if the pace of Harbaugh’s OTA practices are faster than what he’s used to. “Faster than last year? Yeah, for sure,” Holland said … Harbaugh continued running the Giants’ first and second units through full speed end of half and end of game situations, a dramatic difference from Brian Daboll’s four years as coach … Safety Beau Brade intercepted Allen and almost had a second later in practice … Rookie corner Colton Hood did not participate but walked out to the sideline midway through practice. Corner Dru Phillips, quarterback Jameis Winston and fullback Patrick Ricard were not there, either … The Giants return to practice next Wednesday.

____