EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers shed the red no-contact jersey and took part in live drills Monday for the first time with Week 1 in sight.
It was the next step in his rehab from a torn ACL as the star wide receiver tracks toward being ready for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night Sept. 13, barring a setback.
"I just don't want to make any kinds of statements like that," coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "I think it's reasonable to assume that. Those are all kind of things you can assume based on watching the guy practice. But the only thing I know more than you guys know is what the doctors and trainers tell me as far as his rehab. And that is he's doing well. He's doing well with that. He's strong, in a good place. How he gets through practice, how ready he is to play and protect himself is really based on practice. You're watching practice too. You can see it."
Nabers ran smoothly while taking three reps in 11-on-11 and three in 7-on-7 drills. He made an impressive catch when he went down and plucked a pass off the turf.
The Pro Bowl receiver also dropped a pass and had a false start as he shakes off the rust.
Nabers took part in live drills for the first time last week, but he did so in the red jerseys usually reserved for the quarterbacks. Harbaugh said there was a possibility of Nabers getting into contact drills this week. It wasn't a necessity with three weeks until the opener, but it was the next step in his progression.
Harbaugh said he believes it was mandatory for Nabers to get into contact drills at some point before returning to real games because he needed to feel the physicality and see how his body reacted. This was the first real opportunity.
"I thought he looked good," Harbaugh said. "Look at the tape later, but he was moving well. Probably moving the best we've seen him look. You guys can be the judge of that too. You've seen. It was a good practice for him today. He got the red shirt off. That was a good step."
The Giants practiced Monday in shorts and shoulder pads. They are expected to be in full pads Tuesday. Nabers is expected to partake in that action as well, although with a reasonable workload.
Nabers tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee in a Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last season. It was quarterback Jaxson Dart's first career start.
Nabers underwent surgery in October and had ACL and a full meniscus repair. His recovery didn't go without any hiccups. The sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft out of LSU needed another surgery earlier this year to clean out scar tissue and relieve stiffness.
But Nabers was back on the field for the start of training camp last month, avoiding the physically unable to perform list. He has practiced almost every day, taking one session off in West Virginia and being held out of last week's joint practice in Miami.
There has been a steady progression this summer without any significant setbacks.
"I'm listening to my body as much as possible," Nabers said last week after returning to live drills. "I mean, I only know what I feel and I'm explaining that to the training staff. And I think they're taking that into consideration and just asking me questions, asking me do I feel like doing more, asking me do I feel like I'm doing too much. So I'm in a healthy spot and just continue to just add more reps."
Nabers had 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games last season. The Giants' No. 1 receiver had 1,204 yards with seven touchdowns during his rookie campaign in 2024.
