Giants’ Malik Nabers reawakens ‘soul’ and inner ‘dog’ as he takes big step in practice

Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers on Monday took another big step in his rehab process, as he comes back from a torn ACL.

But after the Giants’ 15th training camp practice, Nabers declined to speculate on whether he would play in the Sept. 13 season opener against the Cowboys.

“The most important thing is just completing every milestone that they have in front of me,” he said.

Is he on track in this process?

“I think that’s a John Harbaugh question,” he said with a smile.

Still, he relished Monday’s increased action.

“My soul has been dead for so long, just being away from the game,” he said. “Just getting out there, I kind of felt that soul come back to life.

“Every tear, every talk with the family, every down day, every day that I didn’t complete something, I just kept that in the back of my head. Even when [knee] flexion wasn’t going well or my leg wasn’t feeling the best, just continuing to know that everything was going to be all right. The finished product was just all those days. I’m just thankful for where I’m at.”

Still, plenty of work remains.

Harbaugh, the Giants’ new coach, said last week that Nabers likely would see an increased workload this week. That process started in earnest Monday, when Nabers got full-speed team periods reps for the first time since his injury.

Nabers continued to wear a red (non-contact) jersey, but this was a step forward for him. As apparently planned, he got just four reps in team periods and three in 7-on-7 drills. Nabers caught all three of his targets in 7-on-7 work.

After that, he spent the rest of practice running and cutting on a far field with a trainer. This was planned, Nabers said, and not a result of him feeling discomfort after jumping and landing forcefully after his final 7-on-7 catch.

Nabers had an interesting reaction when he came down after that catch. He slapped himself on the helmet as he walked to the sideline. (This was his last rep before going to work with the trainers.) Why did he smack his helmet?

“I wasn’t upset,” he said. “It’s just that dog in me is barking a little bit. It’s just like: He’s coming. That was just a little spark, to let everybody know: He’s coming — and he’s waking up a little bit.”

Monday was by far Nabers’ most extensive practice action since his injury, which he sustained last season on Sept. 28. Yet he isn’t all the way back just yet.

“The knee is stable,” said Harbaugh, adding that Nabers still must “re-learn how to play the game and protect himself,” in order to be fully cleared.

Harbaugh is trusting the Giants’ medical staff for when full clearance happens.

“I think we’re going to know it when we see it,” he said. “I don’t think he’s full speed yet or anything, but thought he looked good [on Monday].”

After practice, Nabers said his knee felt solid, but he wants to be smart about this process, even as he is itching to get more reps.

“The most important thing right now is my health,” he said. “So I’m taking each step accordingly and making sure my body feels good with taking the next step. I’m listening to my body as much as possible.

“I only know what I feel, and I’m explaining that to the training staff. I think they’re taking that into consideration and asking me: Do I feel like doing more? I’m in a healthy spot and will continue to add more reps as I go.”

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