Giants' Malik Nabers, set to return, recalls injury: 'It was scary when I couldn't remember the last play I was in'
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) reacts after a first down against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
The last thing Malik Nabers recalls about his most recent game action is Daniel Jones throwing the ball in his direction.
It was Sept. 26, on a crucial fourth-down play against the Cowboys. Nabers failed to make the catch at the sideline. As he fell to the ground, his head slammed against the turf.
The Giants lost the game, 20-15, and lost Nabers, their star rookie receiver, for the next two games because of a concussion.
Nabers has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and is set to play against the Eagles on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and on Friday, he spoke publicly about the injury for the first time. “It was scary when I couldn’t remember the last play I was in,” he said.
Nabers, who said it was his first diagnosed concussion, experienced “throbbing in the head” in the early days after the blow.
Was he frustrated by how long it took for him to get back?
“My health is really the most important thing, so I really wasn’t frustrated,” he said. “It was just getting back out there when I felt right.”
Nabers, the sixth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was an early sensation for the Giants with 35 receptions for 386 yards and three touchdowns in four games.
Being without him blew a big hole in the offense. Getting him back should make things easier not only on Jones but on fellow receivers Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson.
“The defense knowing I can make plays, it helps the other guys,” Nabers said.
Nabers, bothered on Thursday by a tight groin, said he is “ready to go” and that the groin problem has been a recurring issue since his collegiate days.
Receivers coach Mike Groh said he expects Nabers to make a seamless return and added that Nabers attended meetings regularly while in protocol.
“I don’t think [the layoff] should be any impact at all mentally for him,” Groh told Newsday. “He’s a very bright person . . . He’s worked hard. He’s diligent. He obviously spends time away from the building studying.”
Nabers raised some social media eyebrows when he attended a Travis Scott concert at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 9 despite being in the protocol.
Nabers said he was unconcerned about the possibility of the noise and lights complicating his symptoms — and unconcerned about criticism of his outing.
“That’s my business,” he said. “What I do outside this facility has nothing to do with what the media thinks.”
Nabers said he would keep the reaction to his concert-going from his coaches and training staff “in-house.”
As for social media chatter, he said, “They’re making me more famous than I already am, so it’s cool.”
Notes & quotes: Two pivotal front seven defensive players, Dexter Lawrence (hip) and Brian Burns (groin), practiced on a limited basis and are listed as questionable for Sunday . . . P Jamie Gillan (hamstring) and CB Adoree’ Jackson (neck) are out . . . Offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo on LT Andrew Thomas, who is out for the season after foot surgery: “You’re sick to your stomach for him as an individual and as a player.” . . . Brian Daboll would not say who will start at left tackle. “[Josh] Ezeudu has taken a considerable amount of reps on the left side,” Daboll said. The Giants signed veteran tackle Chris Hubbard off the 49ers’ practice squad.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
