Big Blue View
The New York Giants are optimistic star wide receiver Malik Nabers will be ready for Week 1, believing he will be in uniform Sept. 13 against the Dallas Cowboys.
What, though, if he is not? Or, what if he is and he isn’t close to the form that he showed in 2024 during a 109-catch, 1,204-yard rookie season?
After all, players recovering from torn ACLs sometimes don’t return to full strength and productivity until their second seasons back from the injury. Nabers had an admittedly complex knee injury also involving a torn meniscus, and had a second surgery this spring to deal with scar tissue that was causing stiffness in the knee.
Head coach John Harbaugh admitted at the end of mandatory minicamp that Nabers faces a “grind” to return to full strength.
“It’s a slog, it’s a grind. He’s still in the middle of it. He’s probably not in the middle of it now. He’s probably maybe 70 percent through. I don’t know, something like that. Eighty percent through,” Harbaugh said. “He’s still grinding. It’s going to be a grind when he starts playing again, too, to get back right.”
What if Nabers isn’t ready to start the season? Or, what if he is not the dominant player he was during his rookie season? Do the Giants have enough at wide receiver to make plays for quarterback Jaxson Dart and help him take a step forward in his second NFL season?
After looking at what they had for most of the spring, the Giants clearly made the judgment that they need more at the position when they replaced one injured player (Gunner Olszewski) with three veteran wide receivers (Odell Beckham Jr., Braxton Berrios, JuJu Smith-Schuster) at the beginning of June.
Do they have enough now? Here is a look at each receiver on the roster other than Nabers, with thoughts on the spring and what that player might offer the Giants in 2026.
Calvin Austin — The 5-foot-9, 162-pound Austin is the closest thing the Giants have to a direct Wan’Dale Robinson replacement. He spent the spring as the starting slot receiver in the Giants’ 11 personnel package. He is capable, but he’s not Robinson. Austin had 84 receptions in three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Robinson had 90 or more receptions each of the past two seasons. With Olszewski out for the year, Austin might emerge as the primary punt returner.
Odell Beckham Jr. — Harbaugh might be the only coach in the NFL willing to give Beckham, who did not play in 2025, a chance to revive his career. Can Beckham do that? He is nowhere near the dominant player he was during his first stint with the Giants. What he can still do is catch the football, run quality routes, and find spaces in zone coverages. Can he stay healthy and be on the practice field every day? Can he accept a part-time role if he does make the roster?
Braxton Berrios — Entering his eighth...
