Matt Nagy’s primary job as offensive coordinator for the New York Giants is to get the ball into the hands of the team’s best playmakers as often as possible, and one way he’s doing it involves a fundamental change for go-to wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Nagy has altered Nabers’ role in a key way. The change involves where Big Blue’s No. 1 wideout is lining up more often.
This new plan helped Nabers feast on an epic target share against the Washington Commanders in Week 5. Where he got those targets wasn’t lost on Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
He noted how “Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has done a good job moving Nabers into the slot to exploit mismatches. Commanders cornerback Rasul Douglas effectively shadowed Nabers on the perimeter for parts of the game. To combat that, Nagy mixed Nabers into the slot, producing four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Nabers took advantage of backup Commanders corner Mike Sainristil for the tying 17-yard touchdown late in regulation and a 28-yard completion in overtime that got the Giants into field goal range before Skattebo’s costly fumble.”
Nabers’ slot exposure wasn’t just a one-off to exploit a suspect Washington secondary. Isolating Nabers on inside alignments has become a trend during the 2026 NFL season.
The Giants are turning Nabers into a prolific slot receiver in increasingly creative ways.
Matt Nagy’s Finding New Tricks for Malik Nabers
One of the keys to Nabers’ success in the slot has been Nagy’s deceptive ways of putting him in the right position. A lot of times that’s involved showing run-heavy personnel, usually one running back and three tight ends, with Nabers as the lone wideout.
The Giants used this strategy to perfection against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. A play highlighted by Shawn Syed of Sūmer Sports showed the Giants in 22 personnel, two running backs and two tight ends.
One of those backs was hybrid fullback/tight end Patrick Ricard. He motioned out wide on the same side of the formation as natural tight ends Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson.
Meanwhile, running back Cam Skattebo split wide on the other side, leaving Nabers in the slot. The Giants used run personnel to spread the field and isolate Nabers one-on-one on the inside.
Nagy repeated the trick to get Nabers a touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. This time, Skattebo and veteran blocking tight end Chris Manhertz aligned outside Nabers. Likely and Johnson were on the other side of the formation.
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Plays like this are possible because Nagy’s getting creative with versatile skill-players to outcoach and fool defenses. Likely’s a key part of the plan as a wide receiver trapped in a tight end’s body.
Likely also feasted against the Commanders, and his combination with Nabers has exciting, long-term implications for a new-look Giants’ offense.
Giants Are Redefining Their Offense
Nagy’s smartly redefining the Giants’ offense around the “world class” Nabers and Likely double act. It worked a treat when they combined for 22 catches from 33 targets for 215 yards and three touchdowns against the Commanders.
The shift not only suits strong-armed, stand-in quarterback Jameis Winston. Nagy’s changes also lean into a matchup advantage the Giants can create every week.
Likely is a roving, 6-foot-4, 241-pounder who is a size and speed mismatch outside the numbers. He demands attention on the perimeter and takes attention away from Nabers, whose shifty quickness and nuanced route-running work better between the hashmarks.
The combination is close to unstoppable when everything clicks. Just like how things came together when Likely drew a crowd against the Commanders, leaving Nabers facing single coverage on the other side and free to reel in the game-tying score.
A play like this is why Nabers has already played 40 snaps in the slot this season, per Player Profiler. That number will only increase the more ways Nabers finds to isolate his best receiver against favorable matchups.
Giants Creating Fundamental Change for Malik Nabers