Giants' Malik Nabers becoming more vocal in the locker room
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers catches a pass during practice on Aug. 6 in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Ed Murray
Malik Nabers stood smiling with his arms crossed in the Giants’ locker room. For someone who battled injuries in training camp and didn’t play in the preseason, he didn’t seem worried about his health.
The second-year receiver said the back injury he reportedly suffered in training camp last week is a “minor thing.” He also felt good looking ahead to the Sept. 7 season opener against the Commanders.
“I feel like I’m always ready,” Nabers said. “When it’s game time with those lights on, I believe my body is going to turn it on. [I’m] going to be ready to roll.”
The confidence felt familiar. The outgoing attitude, however, was a 180-degree turn from last season, when he generally was more reserved. At times, the weight of losing 14 games appeared to take a toll on a player known for his competitive fire.
Part of the change is Nabers’ attitude around his teammates. Whether it’s in meetings or the locker room, he’s becoming more outspoken. Credit for that goes to his teammates’ encouragement. They respect his IQ and impact.
“They want me to voice my opinions,” Nabers said. “They feel like I’m a key factor in this football team. For me to have that word play, just speaking out, trying to get the team going — or if I see anything, just saying something — that just goes to show how much my teammates believe in me. They want me to do those types of things.”
It takes time for young players to grow into that role — even Nabers, whose 109 catches last year set a franchise record. Rookies are still adjusting to the team hierarchy, in which experience trumps production.
Nabers said it’s not natural for him to speak. He prefers to lead by example. But fellow receivers such as Darius Slayton value what Nabers sees. So it was easy to nudge him out of his comfort zone.
“He’s grown, gotten more comfortable and felt like he’s in a space where he can voice his opinions and input on things,” Slayton said. “And he has good input, good things to share. He’s a smart kid. He has things that are positive to contribute to any conversation around here.”
It even has impressed Russell Wilson, who’s spent time with Nabers since being signed this offseason. The quarterback commended his new target for not just being vocal but also a better communicator.
“He sees things extremely well,” Wilson said this week. “He has so much confidence in [himself] and just what he brings to the table. He’s been a great leader. I think he’s really stepped up in that way.”
Coach Brian Daboll said Thursday that he’d love for his best players to be leaders. Nabers has taken on that challenge. It’s given him another goal after his strong rookie year — to make his words and attitude as effective as his skills on the field. Even if it’s difficult, he’s finding comfort in doing that.
“If we want everything to go right this season, your best players have to do those things,” Nabers said. “I have to do those things when the offense isn’t going well or we don’t have our vocal leaders. It’s up to me to try to get that going.”
Thomas' status up in air
Left tackle Andrew Thomas is continuing his recovery from foot surgery and said he’s not sure if he’ll be ready to play in the season opener.
He practiced Wednesday, doing individual drills, but wasn’t on the field Thursday. Daboll said the Giants sometimes “pull back off him the next day” to manage his reps.
Thomas, who has yet to practice in team drills, isn’t setting a hard deadline to play. It’s a matter of managing the lingering pain in his foot and feeling as if he can perform at the level he expects.
“It just takes time,” Thomas said. “This is the most I’ve done to this point, so we’ll see what the plan is for next week and then go from there.”
Blue notes
Wilson, Slayton, Bobby Okereke, Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns were voted the Giants’ captains by their teammates . . . TE Theo Johnson wasn’t seen during open portions of practice Thursday and remains day-to-day . . . LB Swayze Bozeman and S Patrick McMorris were added to the practice squad.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
