When Malik Nabers tore his right ACL and damaged his meniscus in Week 4 last season, the Giants lost the player who made their passing game dangerous. Nearly 10 months and 2 procedures later, New York has received its first major training camp lift. Nabers will not begin camp on the physically unable to perform list.
That sounds like a green light. In reality, it is closer to an open door.
Nabers underwent another procedure earlier this offseason to remove scar tissue that was causing stiffness in his repaired knee. Clearing PUP allows the Giants to introduce practice work as soon as the medical staff approves it. Nobody should confuse that flexibility with clearance for full speed team periods or live contact.
The stakes are easy to understand. As a rookie in 2024, Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also produced 462 yards after the catch and forced 19 missed tackles. Darnell Mooney and Isaiah Likely can punish defenses that lean too heavily toward Nabers, but the Giants do not have another receiver who stretches the field or creates chaos after the catch quite like him.
Clearing PUP opens the practice door
Active PUP would have prevented Nabers from taking part in any practice work. He could have attended meetings and trained on the side, but he would have been barred from walkthroughs, individual drills, 7 on 7 periods, and team sessions.
New York has removed that restriction. Coaches can now put Nabers on the field whenever his knee is ready, even if the first step involves little more than stance work, short routes, and controlled acceleration.
There is a tradeoff. A player must begin camp on active PUP to remain eligible for reserve PUP at roster cuts. Placement on reserve PUP requires a player to miss at least the first 4 games. By leaving Nabers off the initial list, the Giants are signaling that they expect him to have a legitimate chance of practicing before that point.
That is where the rulebook gives way to the football field. Paperwork creates an opening, but Nabers still has to prove that his body can handle what comes through it. A roster designation cannot show whether he can plant hard at the top of a comeback route, explode through press coverage, or chase a deep ball before slamming on the brakes near the sideline.
Those movements will tell the Giants far more than his place on a transaction sheet. Coaches can control his rep count, but they cannot remove every awkward step, late shove, or sudden collision that comes with an NFL practice.
John Harbaugh has tried to keep the optimism grounded in the reality of that process. The Giants coach praised Nabers’ progress while stopping well short of declaring him ready.
“He’s making really good progress right now. I’m very hopeful that he’ll be back soon,” Harbaugh said.
Behind that hope sits a warning. Harbaugh previously described the rehabilitation as a grind and estimated during minicamp that Nabers was about 70 percent to 80 percent through the process. The Giants have opened the practice door. Now, Nabers must show that he can walk through it at NFL speed.
The second procedure added another fight
Removing scar tissue may sound routine, but there is little routine about rebuilding an NFL receiver’s knee. The procedure addressed stiffness inside a joint that Nabers must twist, load, and drive through on nearly every route.
Rehabilitation means repeating the same movements until the knee stops feeling like something that must be protected. Nabers has to drive his foot into the turf, sink his hips, and whip his body in a new direction without flinching. After that, he must do it again while tired, with a defensive back leaning into his shoulder and another defender closing from the middle of the field.
Each stage brings a different strain. Jogging through routes on an empty field tests basic movement. Cuts during 7 on 7 work demand sharper control. Fighting through a jam, reaching for a contested pass, and landing with bodies around his legs place the knee in situations no training room can fully reproduce.
The work continues after practice ends. Nabers must deal with the soreness, swelling, and stiffness that can appear hours later. Even a clean morning session means little if the knee tightens by the evening or limits him the following day.
One impressive practice will not settle the issue. Consecutive sessions will matter more because the Giants need to know whether Nabers can absorb a workload, recover, and return without losing movement or confidence.
What Giants fans should watch next
Giants fans took a collective breath online, with many treating the PUP news as proof that Nabers will be ready for the opener. Such relief is understandable. New York looks like a different offense when its best playmaker threatens the deep third and turns short completions into chunk gains.
The first meaningful update will be whether Nabers joins individual drills. From there, watch how much of the route tree the Giants allow him to run. Slants and straight routes place different demands on the knee than deep outs, comebacks, and option routes.
His movement during 7 on 7 periods will offer another clue. Full team work carries greater weight because traffic closes faster and receivers cannot control every collision. Perhaps the most revealing report will arrive the next morning, when the medical staff sees how the knee responded.
Week 1 remains possible, but the calendar is tightening. New York has cleared the administrative hurdle. Nabers now has the rest of camp to prove his repaired knee can beat the Week 1 clock.
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FAQS
Q1. Is Malik Nabers starting Giants training camp on the PUP list?
No. The Giants left Nabers off active PUP, allowing him to begin practice work whenever the medical staff clears him.
Q2. Does avoiding the PUP list mean Malik Nabers will play in Week 1?
No. Nabers must still handle sharp cuts, contact, heavier workloads, and consecutive practice days before the Giants clear him.
Q3. Why did Malik Nabers need a second knee procedure?
Doctors removed scar tissue that was causing stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee.
Q4. What should Giants fans watch during Nabers’ recovery?
Watch for individual drills, expanded route work, 7 on 7 participation, full team reps, and how his knee responds the next day.
Q5. What happens when an NFL player goes onto reserve PUP?
A player placed on reserve PUP must miss at least the first 4 regular season games.
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