Sightings of Malik Nabers at Giants camp show talent is quite real
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers on August 11, 2026. Credit: Noah K. Murray
The fun part about a Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster or any other legendary being shrouded in mystery is that their lack of existence can never be proved.
Are they real? No. Or at least there has been no evidence to demonstrate they are. But the fact that they can’t be definitively ruled out and nothing can ever prove that they are not out there somewhere keeps them alive in our thoughts and culture, even if they are not alive in our reality.
Malik Nabers is starting to feel a little bit like that. Like a myth. Like something that is too entertaining and superlative to be true . . . but could be.
This week might change that a lot.
He’s been out of sight for nearly a full year now, and that has only made him more fabulous in our minds. It feels as if he has accomplished more for his legacy during the 10 1⁄2 months since he tore an ACL than he did in the 19 games in which he actually played for the Giants. Remember: He helped the Giants win only three of those games and has walked off the field healthy after only two victories in his entire career.
How many wins would he have helped the Giants achieve had he remained healthy? Only a Yeti can answer that one accurately. If you find one, you can ask him.
It’s not Nabers’ fault that he has such a short resume. He certainly dazzled in his rookie year with 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, but if the Giants had any kind of stability at quarterback, he probably would have had an all-timer of a debut season.
Instead, he caught passes from a rapidly sinking Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito and Tim Boyle.
Last year, he had what felt like a breakout performance with two touchdowns and 167 yards on nine grabs against the Cowboys. Instead, that stat line became a footnote in an epic Giants overtime collapse.
At least it gave Russell Wilson one last taste of being a competent quarterback with a game he would cling to long after he was benched for Jaxson Dart a little more than a week later.
Ah, Dart. The one who was to give Nabers the quarterback who could lift him to new heights, who could help him deliver on all of his potential. They connected twice for 20 yards in their first game together. First half together, really. Nabers didn’t even make it to the intermission of that game before being carted off.
He’s been relegated to the sideline since. Through coaching changes and front office reorgs and waves of draft classes and free-agent signings.
Nabers has participated in occasional drills throughout training camp, and it has been refreshing to see him on the field in any capacity. This past week, though, there was an uptick in not only what he does but how he does it.
On Tuesday, he made a toe-tapping catch in the back of the end zone during individual drills that served to remind everyone of his playmaking abilities. On Thursday, he wore a red non-contact jersey and caught four passes in team drills.
The routes and grabs weren’t special, and the workout was barely above a jogging pace, but the vibes were awesome, and Nabers celebrated them with gusto. Everyone did. John Harbaugh said it was “a milestone day for our team.”
Not just for Nabers. Not just for the offense. For the team.
“He’s got ‘it,’ ” Giants receivers coach Chad Hall said. “Now we’re just trying to get him healthy enough to get out there and go show it.”
Expect him to ramp up even more this week. He sat out Saturday’s preseason opener, but the Giants have practices Monday and Tuesday, with a joint practice in Miami on Thursday. Barring any setbacks, it is fair to expect Nabers to be on the field for all three.
Being ready for the regular-season opener on Sept. 13 clearly is within sight.
Until we get there, though, we still won’t know what Nabers is and what he can be. We have some ideas. We’ve seen him operate in less-than-ideal conditions. What is he truly capable of?
“I think that he can change the game at any point and at any time,” Dart said. “The ball is in his hands and there’s a chance that it could go for six. I think that’s just the type of player that he is. When you have that on offense, it’s game-changing.”
Said Hall: “I can’t wait to see him out there, and really be out there every play. It’s going to open up the offense.”
No one is rushing it. Everyone wants this to go at the proper pace. The safe pace. The one that lets Nabers return and stay.
“Whenever his time is right to be back out there with us, I can’t wait for it,” Dart said.
That time is getting close.
It will give Nabers the chance to do what his fabled imaginary brethren have yet to accomplish.
He can prove he is real.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
