When it rains it pours — and the New York Giants are currently in the midst of a hurricane.
“Giants WR Malik Nabers has a hip flexor injury that happened in practice yesterday and he had to get an MRI,” FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on December 6. “He will not practice [on Friday of Week 14].”
Schultz added that “a final determination on his game status will be made later [on December 6].”
As Schultz noted, the door is still open for Nabers to suit up on Sunday but in all likelihood, when a star player on a 2-10 team suffers a new injury on the Friday of a game week, said player is in serious danger of missing that upcoming matchup. The Giants are currently gearing up for a Week 14 battle with the New Orleans Saints, at home on December 8.
If Nabers is unable to go on Sunday, or inactive out of precaution, the Giants will likely give more offensive snaps to wide receivers Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt alongside slot specialist Wan’Dale Robinson.
Malik Nabers’ Lofty Rookie Goals Have Been Stifled by Nagging Injuries & Giants’ Ever-Changing QB Room
At the beginning of the 2024 campaign, Nabers set his sights on lofty rookie goals and expectations — and after a week or two of fans watching him play, they actually felt somewhat attainable.
It hasn’t been a bad rookie year for Nabers by any stretch. But the constant changes at quarterback, as well as his concussion and a nagging groin injury, have stifled his overall production.
Entering Week 14, Nabers sits at 75 receptions and 740 receiving yards. He only has 3 touchdowns.
At his current pace of 74 yards per game, Nabers should crack 1,000 receiving yards — the most common scale of a quality campaign in the WR world — if he finishes out the season. However, if he misses more time due to injury, he could fall short of a mark that looked like a near-guarantee back in September.
Giants Beat Reporter Provides Positive Injury Update on Rookie Tight End Theo Johnson
After undergoing surgery on his foot, rookie tight end Theo Johnson’s 2024 campaign is over. Having said that, NorthJersey.com beat reporter Art Stapleton did provide a positive injury clarification on Johnson on December 6.
“Giants rookie Theo Johnson had season-ending surgery to repair a foot injury suffered on Thanksgiving,” he reiterated. Adding: “I’m told it was a fifth metatarsal fracture for the tight end and not a Lisfranc injury, per source.”
Per Stapleton, the dreaded Lisfranc injury is more of a long-term fear because “it can affect the stability of the entire foot.”
Fortunately, Johnson managed to avoid that fate. The tight end appears to be on track to make a full recovery and retake the field sometime in 2025.
Giants Have Never-Ending List of Injuries vs. Saints
Saying the Giants’ Week 14 list of injuries is never-ending is hyperbole, but it doesn’t feel that far off from the truth. Even if you don’t include long-term absences like Johnson and star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, Big Blue has plenty of injury concerns versus the Saints.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan relayed a recent update from practice on Friday afternoon (Dec. 6).
“Didn’t spot WR Malik Nabers (hip), OL Chris Hubbard (?), DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches (neck/shoulder), LB Bobby Okereke (back) or CB Dru Phillips (?) at practice,” he said.
Continuing: “Daboll wouldn’t rule out Nunez-Roches or Okereke out for Sunday, but I will — they haven’t practiced all week. CB Deonte Banks (rib) was running on the side with trainers, so doesn’t look like he’ll play. OL Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) wasn’t doing much again, so doesn’t look good for him either.”
It’s getting to the point where the Giants may not even have enough healthy bodies to field a full gameday roster in Week 14.
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Giants Get Bad News on WR Malik Nabers Ahead of Week 14