Malik Nabers injury update: Giants HC Brian Daboll plays it safe with star WR before Week 1 vs Commanders

Following a stellar rookie year, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is expected to play a crucial role in the team's rebound year after an underwhelming 3-14 campaign last season.

Amid the increased expectations, the 22-year-old wide receiver is dealing with a back issue ahead of the season opener against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Giants coach Brian Daboll said the Pro Bowler continues to suffer from back tightness and the team will “back down on Malik” in Friday's practice. However, according to NFL insider Pat Leonard, Daboll confirmed that Nabers should be fine for Sunday's season opener.

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Daboll's precautionary measure for Nabers comes in the wake of his record-setting rookie season last year. Nabers had 109 catches last season, the most by a rookie.

The Giants HC also updated on left tackle Andrew Thomas, saying the 26-year-old is expected to participate in team practice on Friday. Thomas underwent a season-ending surgery after a Lisfranc injury in October. He made six starts for the Giants before his injury against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Malik Nabers' back issue resurfaced after team practice with Giants

Malik Nabers was selected with the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL draft also missed preseason games due to his back issue. He was held off from spring practice due to a toe injury.

Nabers seemingly recovered from his back issue this week, participating in full practice on Wednesday and Thursday. However, the tightness resurfaced overnight ahead of Friday's practice.

While Nabers broke records in his rookie season, he doesn't have any advice for the Giants' first-round pick Abdul Carter.

“I wouldn’t tell him anything to be honest,” Nabers said. “I’m the type of person who doesn’t want to hear people telling me about this and that and to do that. He knows exactly what he wants to accomplish.”

However, Nabers is confident of the rookie linebacker's talent and claimed it will shine in the upcoming season.

“I think he’s going to show everybody why we picked him that high,” Nabers said. “He’s going to show all his athleticism, all his power moves and stuff like that, he’s going to make some tackles and run down some people, so I’m excited to see him.”

The team will release the official injury report on Friday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Giants Nation! Check out the latest New York Giants Schedule and dive into the Giants Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash