Nabers returns to team drills

One of the biggest stories of the week has been wide receiver Malik Nabers’ return to team drills at practice. The third-year wideout is working his way back from last year’s knee injury suffered in Week 4, and while he has yet to be cleared for contact, participating in team periods was a big step in the right direction.

“It was good, felt good. Felt good getting some team reps, getting out there, catching the football…” Nabers said after Monday’s practice. “I’m feeling good. Caught a couple of catches. After that, went and ran some more routes with the training staff. So, to keep my legs running, keep the same thing moving forward to getting more team reps.”

After being on the field for 7-on-7 drills during Monday’s practice, Nabers was back out there in team period on Tuesday. The star wide receiver was running with the offense in 11-on-11 drills, and during these two days of practice at the start of the week, he made a couple of athletic, leaping grabs. While the hope is that Nabers is on the field for the Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys, the Giants are continuing to take the situation day by day.

“The most important thing right now is my health,” said the third-year wideout. “So, I’m taking each step accordingly and just making sure my body feels good with taking the next step week by week or day by day or whatever they want to do. So, just letting them know how my body feels just so I can take it more.”

Thus far, Nabers has responded well to the increased workload at practice. But considering Thursday’s practice is against a different opponent, the Giants have yet to decide if he will participate in the joint practice.

“I thought he handled it well,” Harbaugh said after Tuesday’s practice. “He looked good today. It was kind of a similar type of a load. They’re adding reps to those, he had more reps in the team period than he had yesterday, so they’re going to keep building on that. How much we do down there with him will be in question, just because you’re going against a different team. So, we can’t control the environment quite as well. So, we’ll have to give that some thought.”

Giants sign RB Najee Harris

The Giants made an addition to the running back on Tuesday with the signing of Najee Harris.

The veteran back spent his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he didn’t miss a game across those four years. The 6-foot-1, 242-pound running back rushed for 1,000+ yards all four seasons, totaling 4,373 yards and 28 touchdowns on 1,112 rushing attempts (3.9 yards per carry), in addition to 183 catches for 1,174 yards and six more scores.

“He’s an experienced back,” Harbaugh said after they signed him on Tuesday. “Anybody that’s watched him play knows what type of a back he is. He’s a downhill runner, physical runner. I’ve played against him a lot. I have a good feel for who he is as a player. Everybody that’s been around him, my brother, G-RO (Senior Offensive Assistant Greg Roman), (former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach) Mike Tomlin, love him as a teammate. So, excited for the possibilities.”

Harris was added to a running back room that recently lost Dante Miller, who suffered a groin injury in the preseason opener.

“I want opportunity,” Harris said after his first practice with the Giants. “I think this is a good opportunity here. I think the style of play that they’re heading towards is the style of play that aligns with me. Harbaugh coming from the AFC North, me playing against him a lot of times, I know the type of style of football he wants. I think that we align with each other with what type of football we want to play. I think that just coming here is a good opportunity, and I’m willing to just put my foot in there and help out in any way I can.”