‘It’s such a hard thing’ – John Harbaugh finally says the quiet part out loud about Malik Nabers’ injury as New York Giants navigate
The New York Giants “hope” Malik Nabers is back for a Week 1 clash against the Dallas Cowboys. But head coach John Harbaugh just got honest about the whole thing.
John Harbaugh just changed the entire conversation surrounding the knee injury of New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, and not necessarily in a good way.
For weeks, insiders have reported the Giants are “hopeful” about Nabers’ chances to return for a Week 1 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys. But recent comments from Harbaugh don’t reflect a ton of confidence.
John Harbaugh gets honest about Nabers’ injury
Though the Giants still hope for Nabers to return in time for the regular season following a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 of the 2025 season, Harbaugh admitted there’s a lot of uncertainty going on.
“He’s in the middle of it,” Harbaugh told reporters Thursday. “It’s such a hard thing. It’s an ACL, and whatever else he had in that knee [. . .] It’s not a simple knee [injury]. He’s in the slog of it, the grind of it, I would say. He’s fighting through it, and he’s here every day working hard at it.”
As far as a timetable goes, Harbaugh isn’t willing to offer one.
“It’s just impossible to predict,” Harbaugh added. “The goal is to start the season and get out there sometime in training camp. That’d be the goal, and we’ll see what happens.”
Nabers missing Week 1 could be costly
For Giants fans seeking for clarity on Nabers’ future, patience will have to be the move.
For Harbaugh’s coaching staff, however, it will be all about preparing for the worst. To kick off the season with a win, the Giants will need to outscore the Cowboys’ high-powered offense led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens.
Last year, the Russell Wilson-led Giants battled it in a 40-37 overtime loss. It won’t be as easy in 2026 as Dallas revamped its defense. With Nabers on the field, New York has a serious chance to pull off the upset.
Without him, Jaxson Dart will have to make the offense run through the likes of Darius Slayton and Isaiah Likely. Decent talent. But enough? Tough to say so.
Hopefully for the Giants, Harbaugh is being cautious with what he says. But one thing is for sure, this doesn’t sound like a team that’s confident in Nabers being back for Week 1. This is a genuine “we’ll see” situation.