Malik Nabers’ encore to his fantastic rookie season is over too soon.
An MRI performed Monday confirmed fears that the Giants star receiver suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee, head coach Brian Daboll revealed. The coach did not say whether any other ligaments or the meniscus sustained damage, which would add to the complexity of Nabers’ recovery.
The timing of Nabers’ injury — which occurred in the second quarter Sunday against the Chargers, when his knee buckled as he jumped for inside position on a sideline route — is the definition of the woebegone complaint from fans, “Why can’t the Giants have nice things?”
“Certainly when you lose one of your better players,” Daboll said, “that’s a big loss.”
Just as rookie Jaxson Dart is stepping into the starting role and the offense is undergoing an overhaul to use more tempo and intermediate routes, Nabers was placed on injured reserve. The connection that could determine the future of the Giants will have to wait until 2026 to play more than a half together.
Malik Nabers is injured during the Giants’ win over the Chargers on Sept. 28, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Nabers, 22, had 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games at the start of his second season. He had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns last season without the kind of quarterback stability that Dart is expected to provide even while going through his growing pains.
“I just told him that I loved him and I was there for him,” said Wan’Dale Robinson, who tore his ACL in 2022. “Seeing his face, I remember how I felt when I had the knee. Hopefully it’s not that extent, but if it is, I know I’ll be there with him every step of the way to make sure he’s all right and knows exactly what he has to do. He’ll attack everything like he does already — wanting to be the best.”
There is no replacing Nabers — a top 10 or better receiver in the NFL.
“We’ll have a tremendous amount of support for him and his family,” Daboll said. “But we’ll regroup, get the guys ready to play that are here and be as good as we can be on the perimeter.”
The Giants will turn to Robinson (18 catches for 237 yards and a touchdown) and Darius Slayton (leading receiver for the Giants in four of his first six seasons) as their 1-2 punch.
Malik Nabers is carted off with an injury during the Giants’ win over the Chargers on Sept. 28, 2025. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
“Keep getting open,” Robinson said. “There might be a little bit more opportunity now, different ways to get me the ball. At the end of the day, be friendly for [Dart].”
Former third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, who has no catches in four games, should receive a long-awaited chance to slide into the top three. He did not play in either of the first two games of the season but logged 29 snaps (no targets) after Nabers’ injury.
The other receivers on the roster are Beaux Collins, an undrafted rookie, and Gunner Olszewski, primarily a kick returner who knows multiple positions within the offense. Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and rookie Dalen Cambre are on the practice squad.
“They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t [ready to step in],” Daboll said. “A lot of confidence in the guys we have.”
If the Giants look to the outside, perhaps Saints burner Rashid Shaheed is available in what is already a lost season for New Orleans. Or the Colts or Packers might deal from their wealth of No. 2-caliber receivers. Or the Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers or 49ers’ Jauan Jennings might enter the trade market.
It is in the Giants’ best interest to do a player-for-player swap rather than part with future Day 2 draft capital.
“They should add someone either really big or really fast,” one NFL talent evaluator said, “because right now you are forcing the quarterback to be very accurate.”
One name sure to draw clamoring from fans is free agent Odell Beckham Jr. — a one-time Giants star whose own career included a devastating torn ACL suffered in 2017 against the Chargers. But he was a nonfactor (nine catches for 55 yards) in nine games with the Dolphins last season and hasn’t been part of an NFL practice since December.
Gabe Davis, who is a favorite of general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll, is an injured member of the Bills practice squad. He visited the Giants during the offseason for a medical evaluation as he recovered from meniscus surgery last November.
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Isaiah Hodgins, who had 56 catches for 593 yards and seven touchdowns with the Giants from 2022-24, is on the Steelers practice squad.
But the initial focus for the Giants will be on in-house options.
“I’m prepared for this,” Slayton said. “This is what I prepare for in the offseason. Obviously, it’s going to be a group effort, but we’ll be able to get the job done going forward.”
The Giants also released edge Tomon Fox with plans to bring him back to the practice squad.