Malik Nabers makes final decision on whether or not he’ll play for the Giants against the Cowboys right before kickoff
Malik Nabors made himself clear when he said it would be up to him regarding his availability in Week 1 against the Cowboys and the decision has been made.
The status of Malik Nabers is the biggest question surrounding the New York Giants’ Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys and the star receiver has finally provided an answer less than two hours before kickoff.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Malik Nabers will in fact play, which is obviously huge news for Jaxson Dart and the Giants offense. Especially when considering the potential of the new-look Cowboys defense when it comes to what’s on paper and defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme.
Nabers said earlier in the week that he’d make the final call on whether or not he’d suit up and it obviously appears that he feels just fine playing.
“I’ve been wanting to play for so long now, but at the end of the day, I can’t put my career at risk,” Nabers told reporters. “I gotta take that into account. There’s a lot of football I still have left to play…”
“… That’s a possibility,” Nabers later added when asked if he could still miss the game even with a full week of practice. “Like ‘Harbs’ said, they’re leaving the decision up with me. Whatever I feel, whatever I’ve come to the conclusion of, we’ll make that decision.”
Now, whether or not he’s on a snap count is an entirely different story, but it’s logical for the Giants to ease him back into official action.
Malik Nabers’ return boosts the Giants’ WR corp heading into Cowboys matchup
This is a big boon for the Cowboys receivers, even if Nabers is on a snap count. His ability to play across the formation allows offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to create mismatches elsewhere with guys like Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, Odell Beckham Jr. and so on.
It’s especially intriguing for Fields, the promising third-round rookie out of Notre Dame. He’s a big, physical target that can win downfield and in the red zone. So, if the Cowboys defense is leaning on guarding Nabers it can open up Fields to make a big play, whether it’s a chunk play or a touchdown.
Either way, it’s a positive step for Nabers and opens the door for an encouraging outlook moving forward.
