The New York Giants will kick off their 2026 campaign with a Sunday Night Football matchup against their NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Excitement for this game is at an all-time high, and while both teams have generally set their plans for this contest, New York still has one big question mark hovering over it currently.
That would involve the status of star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is questionable to take the field due to ongoing recovery from a torn ACL he suffered last year. Nabers managed to log three full practices throughout the week, but that wasn’t enough to get him off the injury report, and according to one NFL insider, it sounds like he is trending towards being a game-time decision.
Malik Nabers Labeled Gametime Decision Before Giants’ Week 1 Action
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Nabers quickly announced himself as a star during his rookie season after he racked up 109 receptions for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games of action. That production earned him a Pro Bowl selection, and there were big hopes for him in 2025.
Nabers got off to a hot start for New York last season (18 REC, 271 YDS, 2 TD), but a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 cut his season short. The recovery process hasn’t exactly been straightforward for Nabers, as he was forced to undergo another procedure to clean up his knee that threw his Week 1 status in doubt.
On paper at least, Nabers has done everything he needs to do in order to play against the Cowboys, but he is still questionable to play in this game. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, New York is going to let Nabers determine whether or not he can play, which is why he is widely being viewed as a game-time decision.
“It’s still up in the air,” Fowler admitted when discussing Nabers’ injury status on “SportsCenter.” “He looks awesome in practice. He’s a full go. The Giants are prepared for him to play, but it’s really up to him and his body, how he feels … Could be more of a game-time decision.”
Will Malik Nabers Play in Week 1 vs. the Cowboys?
Typically, when a player practices fully three times during the week, they aren’t going to be on the injury report heading into Sunday. That isn’t the case for Nabers, though, which seems to indicate that the Giants are intent on proceeding with caution in regard to his injury status.
Seeing Nabers practice all week fully, only to not play in Week 1, would certainly be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s only the first game of the season, and New York knows it has a long season ahead of it. Ultimately, it would register as something of a surprise if Nabers doesn’t play, but the Giants and their fans likely won’t have much clarity on his status until right before kickoff.
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