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New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers didn’t take long to establish himself as one of the top players in the NFL at his position after going No. 6 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Nabers made 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie despite a relatively putrid Giants offense. However, Nabers’ ascent to superstardom was cut short in his sophomore campaign when he suffered a torn ACL just four games into the season.
Now, it appears that the Giants have no idea when Nabers will return to the field for them after new head coach John Harbaugh revealed that the injury is far more complex than initially thought.
John Harbaugh Offers Worrisome Update On Malik Nabers
Nabers underwent surgery to reconstruct the ACL, which also included a full meniscus repair, in late October. He then had a second surgery recently to remove scar tissue that was causing stiffness.
So, where do things go from here?
Harbaugh isn’t so sure.
“He’s in the middle of it. It’s such a hard thing. It’s an ACL, and whatever else he had in that knee,” Harbaugh told members of the media this week. “Not a simple knee [injury], you know? So, um, he’s in the slog of it, the grind of it, I would say. So, he’s fighting through it, and he’s here every day working hard at it.
“Just impossible to predict. I mean, the goal is to start the season and get out there sometime in training camp. That’d be the goal, and we’ll see what happens.”
At this point, if Nabers returns for training camp, most Giants fans would be over the moon. But that sounds a bit optimistic given the confusing nature of the injury and the slow recovery.
Then there’s the matter of how long it takes Nabers to return to the level he was at before the injury, if he even gets back there.
From a neutral perspective, let’s hope that he does, because when he’s at his best, Nabers is one of the most must-see players in the NFL.