New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers said there is “no doubt,” that he will be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 season after suffering a left ankle injury on Sunday.
After sitting out of Monday’s practice at training camp, the LSU product was seen stretching with the team on Tuesday but did not participate in drills. He was not wearing a boot or brace of any kind after practice, either, and revealed that he did some jogging without a wrap on the affected area.
“He’ll be good,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll confirmed. “It’s not long-term or anything like that.”
The 21-year-old underwent X-rays and an MRI to ensure that the injury was not serious after falling awkwardly on the ankle after making a sensational catch during practice on Sunday. Nabers took his cleat off and was seen grabbing at the top of his foot and ankle before limping off the field.
“At first when I did it, it wasn’t a big deal,” Nabers said. “I went out, did another play, and then it was like, ‘no, something just doesn’t feel right’. So, I wanted to get it checked…
“Just typical things that happen with the ankle when you play football, you play basketball, really.”
It does appear that the Giants will exercise extreme caution with their star rookie with the regular season starting in four weeks’ time. As of now, his status for Saturday’s preseason matchup against the Houston Texans remains unknown.
“Yeah, pretty cautious just to see how I feel, make sure I’m 100%,” Nabers said. “Make sure I’m able to practice at a high speed and play at full speed.”
Nabers, taken sixth overall at the 2024 NFL Draft, wowed the organization last week during joint practices against the Detroit Lions when he caught 17 of 18 targets. He did not receive a single target during New York’s 14-3 preseason-opening win against the Lions on Thursday.
