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The New York Giants are eagerly awaiting the chance to watch Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart make magic together again on the football field.
And considering they were able to play just one half of one game before Nabers tore the ACL in his right knee, the anticipation is incredibly high.
How long Dart and the Giants will have to wait for Nabers' return remains uncertain. That's especially true given the nature of Nabers' recovery. Included in that is a second "clean up" procedure for Nabers earlier this spring, not to mention the Giants' obvious desire to not rush their No. 1 wide receiver back too soon.
An individual familiar with Nabers' procedure from "multiple weeks ago" told NorthJersey.com and The Record that the Giants are still hopeful that he will be on the field at some point this summer with a target of being back in the lineup in Week 1 for the "Sunday Night Football" season opener against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on September 13.
The Athletic first reported the latest development in Nabers' recovery. He underwent knee surgery in late October of last year, and there was always the potential of Nabers starting training camp in late July on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. That would allow the training staff to gauge his progress, and depending on his health, the Giants would not have to force Nabers to practice until he is ready.
Another source told NorthJersey.com and The Record is that optimism regarding Nabers is up in recent days, and both the Giants and the player believes he will be back to 100 percent if not by Week 1, soon after that.
There's no questioning Dart as the centerpiece of the Giants' offense. That was the case when the season ended, and that is the premise by which the Giants are operating as they remake the roster and the identity of this team.
Nabers is still clearly the top weapon in the Dart-led offense, and the Giants have added pieces this offseason, including tight end Isaiah Likely, who should be an asset all over the field, as well as another ascending tight end in Theo Johnson. They also signed veterans Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III, and Darius Slayton is among the returnees.
The Giants recently drafted Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields in the third round. They have also met extensively with veteran Odell Beckham Jr., who would love a return to the team that drafted him in 2014.
The Giants are not going to be able to replace Nabers, who was their leading receiver by far as a rookie with a team-record 109 receptions for 1,209 yards and seven touchdowns. There's a reason why he was being included in the same conversation as fellow LSU products Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase when talking about the best receivers in the league - and Nabers does not turn 23 until July 28.
The Harbaugh era will welcome a bit of a culture shock in terms of how the offense will operate. No one is looking to change Dart - if anything, the Giants hope to capitalize on his skill set and will build the playbook around that - but in terms of how the Giants attack schematically, it's going to be a reset.
Seemingly every significant play Dart made as a rookie this past season came from matching his mind to his physical tools. He has impressed with his instincts, an awareness of what is going to happen on the other side of the ball and the moments that call for the throws he knows he can make.
Dart has a knack for making the difficult look routine. He promised in the summer he would not be a robot, and he held firm to that during the season while also staying away from negative plays, striking a balance that has an entire organization excited about the potential of what's to come.
The Giants also drafted Sisi Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he is slated to start at right guard next to right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who was a priority to re-sign this offseason.
"The good thing, one of the many great things about Jaxson Dart, is he does so many things so well," Harbaugh said. "I mean, he can live in a lot of different worlds, and if you watch the offenses that we’ve had over the last number of years, it’s built around a lot of different elements, and there’s a lot of different elements that Jaxson can play in. Power run, dropback pass, quarterback-driven stuff, RPOs, quick ball-out type of completions. He can throw the ball downfield, throw it off play action. I’m not sure what he really can’t do, you know? So we’re gonna try to live in those different worlds and see how it fits all the other guys on the offense."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Malik Nabers has another surgery during knee injury recovery
Continue reading...
And considering they were able to play just one half of one game before Nabers tore the ACL in his right knee, the anticipation is incredibly high.
How long Dart and the Giants will have to wait for Nabers' return remains uncertain. That's especially true given the nature of Nabers' recovery. Included in that is a second "clean up" procedure for Nabers earlier this spring, not to mention the Giants' obvious desire to not rush their No. 1 wide receiver back too soon.
An individual familiar with Nabers' procedure from "multiple weeks ago" told NorthJersey.com and The Record that the Giants are still hopeful that he will be on the field at some point this summer with a target of being back in the lineup in Week 1 for the "Sunday Night Football" season opener against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on September 13.
The Athletic first reported the latest development in Nabers' recovery. He underwent knee surgery in late October of last year, and there was always the potential of Nabers starting training camp in late July on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. That would allow the training staff to gauge his progress, and depending on his health, the Giants would not have to force Nabers to practice until he is ready.
Another source told NorthJersey.com and The Record is that optimism regarding Nabers is up in recent days, and both the Giants and the player believes he will be back to 100 percent if not by Week 1, soon after that.
What does the Giants' offense look like without Nabers?
There's no questioning Dart as the centerpiece of the Giants' offense. That was the case when the season ended, and that is the premise by which the Giants are operating as they remake the roster and the identity of this team.
Nabers is still clearly the top weapon in the Dart-led offense, and the Giants have added pieces this offseason, including tight end Isaiah Likely, who should be an asset all over the field, as well as another ascending tight end in Theo Johnson. They also signed veterans Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III, and Darius Slayton is among the returnees.
The Giants recently drafted Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields in the third round. They have also met extensively with veteran Odell Beckham Jr., who would love a return to the team that drafted him in 2014.
The Giants are not going to be able to replace Nabers, who was their leading receiver by far as a rookie with a team-record 109 receptions for 1,209 yards and seven touchdowns. There's a reason why he was being included in the same conversation as fellow LSU products Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase when talking about the best receivers in the league - and Nabers does not turn 23 until July 28.
The Harbaugh era will welcome a bit of a culture shock in terms of how the offense will operate. No one is looking to change Dart - if anything, the Giants hope to capitalize on his skill set and will build the playbook around that - but in terms of how the Giants attack schematically, it's going to be a reset.
Seemingly every significant play Dart made as a rookie this past season came from matching his mind to his physical tools. He has impressed with his instincts, an awareness of what is going to happen on the other side of the ball and the moments that call for the throws he knows he can make.
Dart has a knack for making the difficult look routine. He promised in the summer he would not be a robot, and he held firm to that during the season while also staying away from negative plays, striking a balance that has an entire organization excited about the potential of what's to come.
The Giants also drafted Sisi Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he is slated to start at right guard next to right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who was a priority to re-sign this offseason.
"The good thing, one of the many great things about Jaxson Dart, is he does so many things so well," Harbaugh said. "I mean, he can live in a lot of different worlds, and if you watch the offenses that we’ve had over the last number of years, it’s built around a lot of different elements, and there’s a lot of different elements that Jaxson can play in. Power run, dropback pass, quarterback-driven stuff, RPOs, quick ball-out type of completions. He can throw the ball downfield, throw it off play action. I’m not sure what he really can’t do, you know? So we’re gonna try to live in those different worlds and see how it fits all the other guys on the offense."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Malik Nabers has another surgery during knee injury recovery
Continue reading...
