When Giants Expect Malik Nabers to Play After Undergoing Second ACL Surgery

Malik Nabers’s 2025 season ended after just four games due to him tearing his ACL in late September. Since then he’s undergone two surgeries on his right knee, with the second one occurring earlier this offseason.

After his October surgery to repair the torn ACL, it was projected that the Giants wide receiver would be ready to return in mid-July for training camp. However, with his second surgery happening in recent months, which was noted as a “clean-up” procedure via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, his return timeline seems to have been pushed back a bit. He also had a meniscus repair when getting his second surgery.

New York is hopeful that Nabers will be ready to play for Week 1. The Giants will take on their rival Cowboys in the first Sunday Night Football matchup of the season on Sept. 13. This would be the perfect first game back for Nabers, as long as his recovery continues to progress. If he suffers any setbacks, there’s a chance Nabers won’t play in Week 1. Back in February, though, Nabers told ESPN that his recovery was going “phenomenal,” so hopefully it’s continued to go that way.

Nabers had an electric rookie season in New York in 2024. He set a franchise record and NFL rookie record for the most passes caught during his first year with 109. He totaled 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns that season. In four games last season, Nabers caught 18 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

When the receiver steps back on the field, there will be plenty of high expectations placed on him to have another incredible season like he did in 2024. Hopefully he’ll avoid any injuries in 2026 so he can remind NFL fans what he’s capable of on the field.

Giants’ offensive and coaching changes

Nabers will have a pretty different Giants offense and coaching staff to work with. For starters, coach Brian Daboll was fired shortly after Nabers’s season-ending injury last year, and now John Harbaugh will take over the team for his first year in New York. Harbaugh hired Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to take on the same role with the Giants. Nabers only worked with Mike Kafka as his OC in his two seasons so far.

Nabers only got to play in one game with Jaxson Dart as the starting quarterback as Dart’s debut was the same game the receiver suffered his torn ACL. This duo will be exciting to finally experience in 2026.

As for Nabers’s wide receiver room, there has been some big changes there. The Giants lost Wan’Dale Robinson—who led the team in receiving yards by almost double with 1,014 last year—in free agency as he landed with the Titans. To help replace him, the Giants turned around and acquired Darnell Mooney from the Falcons and Calvin Austin III from the Steelers. Nabers will likely be the receiver who steps up in Robinson’s place, though. Additionally, the Giants drafted Malachi Fields from Notre Dame in the third round last month.

There’s plenty of change for Nabers to face when he gets back on the football field, but nothing he can’t handle. These changes may end up being for the best for Nabers and the Giants in general.

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