The New York Giants are less than two weeks away from opening the 2026 NFL season against the Dallas Cowboys, but one major question remains unanswered: will Malik Nabers be ready to play?
The star wide receiver has made encouraging progress recently, including participating in most of the team’s reps during the latest practice. However, the Giants still do not have enough certainty to assume Nabers will be available for a full workload in Week 1.
Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that reality and admitted that New York must prepare for every possible outcome. So far, there’s no confirmation regarding Nabers’ status for the opener from the Giants.
John Harbaugh won’t assume Malik Nabers will play Week 1
When asked about the uncertainty surrounding Malik Nabers’ availability, John Harbaugh delivered a reference to The Odd Couple before making his point very clear.
“I’m going to give you the answer that comes immediately to my mind. The Odd Couple. Do you remember The Odd Couple? Oscar and Felix. You know the episode I’m talking about? That’s what happens when you assume. We have to plan for every outcome. Exactly. We have to plan that he’ll be there fully. We’ll have to plan that he’s not there at all. We’ll have to plan that he’s there for some partial amount.”
Harbaugh’s comments are significant because they confirm that the Giants are not operating under the assumption that Nabers will be ready to play a normal workload against Dallas. Instead, the coaching staff is preparing for three different possibilities.
Malik Nabers uncertainty makes Giants’ preparation tougher
John Harbaugh also admitted that not knowing whether one of his most important offensive players will be available creates obvious difficulties to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys.
“It makes it tough. There’s no doubt about it, but you never know if a player is going to be available or not because anything can happen. Things can happen in the first play of the game or in the last play of the game. Then, someone’s got to be ready to come in and step in. So, you just don’t overthink that. You just prepare for it. You have guys ready to play.”
