Expecting news to bend a certain way doesn't always make it easier to digest.
An MRI exam confirmed that New York Giants star receiver Malik Nabers suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Sunday's stirring victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, head coach Brian Daboll told reporters on Monday.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the news earlier Monday. The Giants have since placed Nabers on injured reserve.
The diagnosis was expected after Nabers crumpled to the MetLife Stadium turf trying to leap for a deep shot from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart in the second quarter. The second-year receiver was in immediate pain, grabbing the injured knee and writhing on the ground. He was quickly ruled out after getting carted off.
The injury occurring in late September should give Nabers time to be ready for 2026. The question is whether he'll have all his explosive ability immediately upon his return or if, like some -- i.e., Saquon Barkley in 2021 -- it takes time for him to fully return to his super-human ability.
What does Nabers' injury mean for Big Blue?
The injury is a massive blow to the Giants, just as things are starting to perk up, with first-round pick Jaxson Dart taking over under center and the youngsters showing promise.
Nabers has proven he's a bona fide go-to target, able to win even when the defense knows the ball is coming his way. The wideout's combination of superior route running and ability at the catch point makes him a quarterback's dream. Even with last year's ugly signal-caller situation in New York, he still put up 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games.
To open 2025, he'd doubled down on that upside, including a nine-catch, 167-yard, two-touchdown performance in a Week 2 loss to Dallas. Even with a 13-yard stinker in Week 3 against Kansas City, Nabers was still on pace for 1,422 yards this season.
One does not simply replace that player or production.
It should come as zero surprise that all three of Dart's pass attempts on an 89-yard opening drive touchdown march on Sunday went to Nabers -- two completions and a defensive pass interference generated. Even playing just 23 of 69 snaps on Sunday, Nabers still finished second on the Giants with 20 receiving yards on three catches.
Taking Nabers out of the offense makes life much easier on defenses for the balance of the season. With respect to Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Beaux Collins and Gunner Olszewski, none of them keep defensive coordinators awake at night like Nabers.
The injury makes Slayton's role much more vital for Dart, particularly as a boundary target who can stretch the field. The rookie was quick to get the ball out, and as defenses start to jump on his first reads, he'll need a threat to keep them honest. Slayton led the Giants with three catches on four targets for 44 yards on Sunday. Robinson's ability to win near the line of scrimmage and make plays after the catch will become vital as he also likely sees an uptick in designed targets sans Nabers.
Are there other WR options Giants could explore?
The options on the open market aren't pretty at this stage. Odell Beckham's name is sure to get tossed around -- if only for the headlines. However, the 33-year-old is not the same receiver at this stage. He's played in 23 games over the past three seasons. In nine games in Miami last year, he managed just nine catches for 55 yards -- 6.1 YPC. The rest of the free agents are veterans like Robert Woods, Tyler Boyd, Nelson Agholor or Mecole Hardman. Not exactly game-changers. Big Blue is likely to move a practice-squad WR up to the active roster, a current choice between Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Dalen Cambre.
The trade market could be an option with names like Tyreek Hill or Jakobi Meyers bandied about, but frankly, New York isn't in a position to be shelling out assets for a stopgap. They also currently don't have the salary-cap space to add much without making a maneuver -- a league-low $2.853 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.
With no great wide receiver options to help fill Nabers' production, Daboll should lean into two-tight end sets. Through four weeks, Big Blue has run 24.5% of its plays from two-TE sets -- that figure was just 17.4% on Sunday. Second-year TE Theo Johnson should see his usage increase, and getting him on the field with Daniel Bellinger or Chris Manhertz could allow the Giants to be better in the run game while also filling some of the void in the passing attack.
With no one-for-one replacement, Daboll must get creative to aid Jaxson Dart's development now that he doesn't have a true, field-tilting WR1.
