New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers on Monday participated in live 11-on-11 drills for the first this summer, taking a monumental step foward in his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 4 of the 2025 season.
“My soul been dead for so long, just being away from the game,” Nabers said followign practice. “So just getting out there, having my teammates behind me…kind of felt that soul come back to life out there.”
Nabers, wearing a red, non-contact, jersey, reportedly took four reps with starting quarterback Jaxson Dart during 11-on-11 drills. He took three reps in 7-on-7 drills. He caught passes from Dart on all three 7-on-7 reps, per Dan Duggan.
Nabers finished practice running additional routes on the side with a trainer.
“I thought he looked good,” said head coach John Harbaugh. “I don’t think he’s full-speed yet or anything, but I thought he looked good.”
Nabers’ step forward will, of course, increase the anticipation that he might be ready to play when the Giants open the season Sept. 13 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Nabers is not making promises.
“The most important thing is my health,” Nabers said. “The most important thing is just completing every milestone that they have in front of me, giving good effort, continuing to come out here and be a great teammate to my teammates.”
Nabers did say that “The dog in me is barking a little bit. He’s coming. He’s waking up a bit.”
"My soul's been dead for so long just being away and knowing what I could've accomplished, knowing where I was before this happened. Every tear, every talk with the family, every down day… it just kept that in the back of my head to continue."
— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) August 17, 2026
– Malik Nabers pic.twitter.com/ohfUQ13mIJ
More injury updates
[NOTE: These were gathered from reports by Dan Duggan, Jordan Ranaan, and other reports on hand for Monday’s practice]
- Center John Michael Schmitz (concussion), center Lucas Patrick (knee), cornerback Greg Newsome (knee), cornerback Dru Phillips (knee), and cornerback Paulson Adebo (hamstring) were back in team drills. [Duggan]
- Neither running back Dante Miller (abdomen/groin) or wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (ankle/knee) were seen at practice.
- Harbaugh said Najee Harris, who worked out for the Giants on Monday, is not yet in football shape.