The New York Giants and their fans are eagerly awaiting the return of star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is expected to be a game-time decision against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. Nabers last played in a regular-season game in 2025 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but missed from Week 5-on thanks to a severe knee injury. The Giants are rightly taking matters slow with Nabers, who has himself admitted he wants to make sure he's ready to go for the long haul, rather than suffering a setback at an inopportune time.
Nabers was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and in the latter stages of the week. Giants head coach John Harbaugh sounded confident about Nabers' status heading into the weekend, as he stated “I think he’s ready to go." That game with an obvious caveat, though, that there were still four days until Sunday, and that anything could happen.
Is Malik Nabers playing today? What the Giants said
As Harbaugh mentioned, Nabers is basically a game-time decision. This mean he will go through warmups and the team training staff will make a decision as to whether Nabers should play in Week 1, or if he needs more time to play on a knee that was surgically repaired just last season. Nabers also needed a second clean-up surgery in the offseason, which isn't helping matters.
If Nabers is on a limited snap count or cannot play, that will place even more pressure on Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, two emerging Giants young stars who should take a leap forward in 2026. Behind Nabers on the depth chart is a familiar face, as Odell Beckham Jr. managed to make the 53-man roster and should be completely healthy. If Nabers cannot go, expect Dart to target the veteran in key third-down situations.
Giants WR depth chart if Malik Nabers misses time
Whether it be now or later in the season, the Giants wide receiver depth chart could be tested if Harbaugh prefers not to rush Nabers back, or to have him on a limited snap count. OBJ is the biggest brand behind Nabers, but he is far from alone and frankly not the most capable player at this stage of his career. Rather, should Nabers miss any time this season, the Giants will rely heavily on younger, emerging wideouts like Malachi Fields and Darnell Mooney.
Position | Player |
|---|---|
WR1 | Malik Nabers |
WR2 | Darnell Mooney |
WR3 | Malachi Fields |
WR4 | Odell Beckham Jr. |
WR5 | Braxton Berrios |
WR6 | Dalen Cambre |
Mooney was an underrated free-agent signing just this offseason, and should provide some important depth with Nabers status questionable moving forward. Fields was a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, and should receive some early run with or without Nabers on the field.
Add us as a preferred source on Google