Malik Nabers' return to team drills a 'milestone' for Giants

Thursday's practice was a big one for the Giants .

Not only was it their last before their first preseason game on Saturday -- the team will have walkthroughs Friday -- but Malik Nabers participated in team drills for the first time since the talented wideout tore his ACL a year ago.

While Nabers was donned in full red regalia, similar to what quarterbacks wear to avoid physical contact, the receiver ran his routes and took some passes.

"It's great to have him back out there, " Jaxson Dart said of Nabers. "I've said this before, he has a certain presence about him anytime he touches the field and I think the big thing today was also you just saw how excited he was himself to be out there. And we're in like an ACT-style format of a practice, but he's running all the way down, scoring. Yeah, just can't wait for it to be full go when the time comes."

The Giants didn't go full-speed with Nabers, understandably, as the former first-round pick continues his road to recovery after missing most of last season. As head coach John Harbaugh put it, it was a "no-physicality practice," and it was more about timing than anything else.

"I feel like the players were excited when we talked about it in meetings this morning. They were excited," Harbaugh said of Nabers' joining drills. "They were giving him a hard time at practice. But everybody was happy that he was out there. Because it's a big step. It's a big step to get into team drills. So, for him to do that was – yeah, it was a milestone, I would say, for our team."

Nabers came down with 109 receptions for 1204 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie campaign. In his sophomore season, Nabers caught 18 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games before he was injured.

Dart, who made his first NFL start in Week 4 against the Chargers -- the same game Nabers suffered his knee injury -- is ready to get back to throwing to him and knows exactly how Nabers can change the Giants offense for the better.

"He can change the game at any point and at any time," Dart said of Nabers' ability. "The ball is in his hands and there's a chance that it could go for six. And I think that that's just the type of player that he is. That's the skill sets that he has. So, when you have that on offense, it's game-changing. And so, whenever his time is right to be back out there with us, I can't wait for it, certainly. And I know that he's just going to make our team that much better."

Naber couldn't avoid all physical contact on Thursday as he bloodied wide receivers coach Chad Hall's lip with his helmet on a release. But otherwise, it was a good practice for Nabers in terms of his recovery. Despite having a second knee surgery in the offseason, he continues to get closer and closer to being at full speed and ready for the season opener on Sept. 13.

More of Malik Nabers at Giants practice today pic.twitter.com/EbafvMG6eT

— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) August 13, 2026

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