Malik Nabers Update: Harbaugh Says Giants WR Could Join Team Periods Next Week

Malik Nabers is getting closer to running with the New York Giants’ first team, and head coach John Harbaugh gave the clearest update yet on the timeline this week. Nabers, still working back from the torn ACL and meniscus that ended his season in Week 4 last year, has been limited to individual drills and route work on the side through most of training camp. That’s about to change.

According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Harbaugh said Wednesday that Nabers is “exactly where he’s been” in his recovery, with plans to ramp him into team periods “maybe next week.” Duggan reported the update on X, formerly Twitter

There was a slight scare when Tyler Nubin got a little too close for comfort on a swing pass to Nabers. Everyone was fine, but probably going to want to pull up a step sooner with the franchise WR in a walk-through https://t.co/wXNkweYBdx

— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) August 6, 2026

Multiple other reporters at Giants camp relayed similar language from Harbaugh the same day. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, via Yardbarker, wrote that Harbaugh said Nabers “might jump into some team periods as soon as next week,” adding that the wide receiver “didn’t do much” in that day’s practice but has “looked good” when working through individual drills and routes. CBS Sports and FantasyPros both filed matching reports the same day, each citing Harbaugh’s comments and multiple credentialed camp reporters.

Harbaugh’s exact words, per a separate report from Jingletree: “We’re looking towards soon ramping him up into some group periods and perhaps some team periods. Maybe next week. We’ll see. He’s doing great. He’s working hard. Spirits are high.”

What This Means for Week 1

None of this is a guarantee. Harbaugh has been careful not to promise anything about Nabers’ status for the Giants’ Sept. 13 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. The team has structured camp around getting him ready for that game, but “next week” for team periods is a checkpoint, not a finish line. If Nabers handles live reps well, it becomes a real building block toward Week 1. If there’s any setback, that timeline slides.

So far, the early signs are good. Nabers has missed just one practice all camp and has avoided the Physically Unable to Perform list entirely, sticking to individual work and routes on air while his surgically repaired knee continues to strengthen. That’s a notable marker for a player who tore both his ACL and meniscus, an injury that often keeps receivers sidelined well into a following season.

Nabers’ Track Record

Whenever he’s back on the field, expectations will be sky-high. Nabers set the tone as a rookie, catching 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in just 15 games, instantly establishing himself as the focal point of the Giants’ offense. He was on pace to build on that last season before the injury, hauling in 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns through four games.

This will also be Nabers’ first full offseason and training camp working with quarterback Jaxson Dart, who took over as New York’s starter last season. The Giants are banking on that pairing developing into one of the more dangerous quarterback-receiver combinations in the league, and every step Nabers takes toward full speed matters for how quickly that chemistry can build.

A New Voice Running the Building

Harbaugh’s presence has changed the tone at Giants camp this summer. He arrives with a long, successful run leading the Baltimore Ravens, and the Giants have leaned into an aggressive, information-first approach under him — even hosting a workout for free agent cornerback Terrion Arnold this week, despite Arnold’s ongoing legal situation, as part of what Harbaugh described as leaving no stone unturned at positions of need.

On offense, the plan starts with Nabers. New York’s receiver room lacks a proven second option behind him, which puts extra weight on his health heading into the regular season. Harbaugh has repeatedly stressed patience with the recovery rather than rushing it, even as fans and reporters look for every scrap of news out of East Rutherford.

The next real test comes whenever Nabers actually steps into a team period. Until then, this is the update Giants fans have been waiting on: a healthy, encouraging one, without a guarantee attached.