Giants WR Malik Nabers felt 'soul come back to life' after participating in team drills
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers cleared a key checkpoint in his return from last year's torn ACL on Monday, participating in full-speed team periods for the first time in training camp this summer.
For Nabers, it was akin to an awakening.
"Like I said, my soul's been dead for so long just being away and knowing what I could've accomplished, knowing where I was before this happened," Nabers told reporters after Monday's session. "Every tear, every talk with the family, every down day, every day that I didn't complete something, it just kept that in the back of my head to continue."
Nabers isn't completely back in action yet. He only saw a handful of reps in team periods on Monday and wore a red non-contact jersey, but the action still represented an important step forward.
"Being out there and having my teammates behind me kind of felt that soul come back to life," Nabers said.
Those hoping Nabers will hit the ground running entering the 2026 season after tearing his ACL last September, however, should temper their expectations. New York has taken a cautious, methodical approach in working Nabers back onto the field with the full understanding it's better to be safe than aggressive at this stage in the calendar.
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"The most important thing right now is my health," Nabers said. "I'm taking each step accordingly, just making sure my body feels good, taking the next step day by day or week by week or whatever they want to do. Just letting them know how my body feels just so I can take in more."
Nabers repeated himself when pressed on whether he might be ready for Week 1's game against the Cowboys, refusing to commit to that timeline while also remaining positive. He knows patience is especially important during this stretch in his process, especially as the finish line on a long recovery road is in sight.
Still, that didn't prevent Nabers from letting out a little emotion after making a catch over rookie linebacker Arvell Reese during a 7-on-7 period.
"I wasn't upset, it's just that dog in me is barking a little bit, you know?" Nabers explained. "It's just barking a little bit. It's like, he's coming, you know? That was just a little spark. It was just letting everybody know he coming, he waking up a little bit."