New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers had one of the most spectacular rookie seasons in recent memory for a player at his position. Nabers hauled in 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns during his debut year, making the Pro Bowl and finishing fifth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
He was off to another terrific start to his sophomore campaign, reeling in 16 passes for 251 yards and two scores in his first three games of the year. Unfortunately, he suffered a devastating knee injury during the Giants’ Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and missed the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Nabers had surgery to repair the tear in October, then had a second, “clean-up” surgery to remove scar tissue.
Throughout the offseason, it seemed like Nabers might be behind schedule in his injury rehab, but fortunately for both him and the Giants, he avoided the physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp and did consistent work in individual drills, looking smooth running his routes on air.
Nabers returned to team drills on Monday, and it’s safe to say that he felt really good about getting back out there for 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work.
“My soul’s been dead for so long, just being away from the game,” Nabers said. “So just getting out there and having my teammates behind me, kinda felt that soul come back to life out there.”
Nabers wore a non-contact jersey for his first work with the team and wouldn’t commit to suiting up for the Giants’ Week 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys, but it would appear that he’s getting closer to a full workload, a little less than four weeks before the Giants kick off their season. That’s welcome news for a Giants passing attack that has reportedly had its struggles during camp, as Nabers will likely step in and work as Jaxson Dart’s No. 1 target, soaking up volume and opening the field for everyone else.
