Giants WR Malik Nabers' ankle injury 'nothing serious' after MRI, X-ray, Brian Daboll says
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers looks on during training camp in East Rutherford, N.J., on Tuesday. Credit: Ed Murray
On a day when Malik Nabers appeared to be walking without a limp, the rookie wide receiver said he has “no doubt” that he will be ready when the regular season begins.
Coach Brian Daboll said Nabers had an MRI and an X-ray on his left ankle.
“It’s nothing serious,” he said.
The Giants held Nabers out of practice Tuesday, but Daboll indicated that the team expects him to be full-go soon.
Nabers conceded he was initially concerned about his ankle but is now confident he’ll be ready to play in the team’s season opener Sept. 8 against the Vikings at MetLife Stadium.
Daboll referred to Nabers' ankle as “not long term or anything like that.”
“He’ll be OK,” Daboll said. “I mean, he's got an ankle. It’s nothing serious.”
Nabers has quickly become one of the Giants most indispensable players. The wide receiver corps seems vastly different without him on the field. The sixth-overall pick out of LSU in April’s draft has established himself as a playmaker on the practice field.
“I watched the play that it happened on, and I really didn’t know what I did with my foot,” Nabers said. “I don't feel a lot going on right now, so it wasn't that bad of an injury. I'm just making sure I'm fine.”
As are the Giants.
Nabers said he is being “pretty cautious” with the ankle so he is able to be “100% and able to practice and play at full speed” in the regular season.
While speaking with the media, Nabers seemed to be relieved.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, “because as a football player, you always think the worst or (that) you're not able to play. So, (the test result) was good to hear.”
Nabers likely won’t practice until he’s completely healthy. In that, the Giants have time on their side.
Tracy hurt in practice
Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. was fielding a kickoff when he fumbled and went down in a heap as he tried to recover the ball. He was carted off and his right leg was put in an air cast.
He was taken to The Hospital for Special Surgery for tests and further evaluation. The Giants said Tracy has an ankle injury, according to The Associated Press.
Tracy, a rookie out of Purdue, has been having a terrific training camp, especially for a fifth-round pick.
“I think he's done a good job of really picking up all the little nuances, the protections, the identifications, the route concepts, the alignments," Daboll said before the practice misfortune. "He's a smart player. I’m glad we got him”
For a young player, Tracy seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He also made the switch from receiver to running back in his final season with the Boilermakers.
“I think the instinctiveness of route running, that certainly helps,” Daboll added. “You can have the lines on the paper, but he has some pretty good feel for zone awareness, how to set guys up in man (coverage). I think that playing receiver has helped him in that area but the protection part of it, the physicalness, all those things, that's a little bit different than playing receiver. He's got good size though. He's got good length. He's done well for a young player that's just entered into our program.”
Blue notes
Daniel Jones might have had his finest day in the field in team drills. He went 10 for 13 with two drops. On one play, Jalin Hyatt made a nice adjustment to the ball. Jones found rookie tight end Theo Johnson for a nice gain play. . . . Evan Neal made his return to the playing field, working with the second team at right tackle.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
