Giants WR Malik Nabers downplays back injury: 'A minor thing'

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New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers brushed off any concerns over the back injury that sidelined him for spells during training camp.

“A minor thing,” Nabers said Wednesday of the back issue, via ESPN.

The minor back concern kept Nabers out a dozen days earlier this month and the final two preseason contests — Giants starters all sat out the final game. The wideout returned to practice last Monday.

Nabers noted that he doesn’t feel as if the missed time will set him back entering Year 2.

“Yeah, I feel like I’m always ready,” Nabers said. “When it’s game time and those lights are on, I believe my body’s going to turn it on. It’s going to be ready.”

In 2024, Nabers led the Giants with 170 targets, 109 catches, 1,204 receiving yards, and 7 receiving TD in 2024 — no other Giants player hit the 700 receiving yards mark or had more than four TD catches. The 30.7 percent team target share in 2024 was the highest in the NFL, and the second highest by a rookie in the last 25 seasons, per NFL Research (Anquan Boldin in 2003).

Nabers put those numbers up despite having missed two tilts.

The key to repeating that showing in Year 2 will be his connection with new quarterback Russell Wilson. Nabers, who didn’t play at all in the preseason, said the missed time due to the back injury hasn’t hindered their chemistry.

“We’ve been on the same page a lot,” Nabers said. “That connection is going to keep growing. It can never be as great as we want it to be, but it’s going to be as good as we hope it’s going to be. But we continue to still get work, try to get those catches in and out. But the relationship has been going good.”

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