The New York Giants have been dealt a tough hand by missing Malik Nabers to start the offseason, but the sky is far from falling in East Rutherford. In fact, Nabers’ absence could prove crucial for Malachi Fields to establish himself ahead of his rookie campaign in the NFL.
Injuries are a part of the league. Every team deals with them year in and year out. It is how one bounces back from those setbacks that truly matters and ultimately decides NFL seasons. Nabers‘ recovery from a torn ACL and meniscus is no different. The Giants are making no excuses for themselves. Instead, they can use it as an opportunity to develop their third-round pick even faster.
“With injuries to Nabers and Slayton, Fields will get a lot of work with the first-team offense this offseason,” as reported on Giants Now. “It’s a great opportunity for him to get extra work with Jaxson Dart. A lot of times rookies don’t get to work with the starting quarterback. Good stuff that Fields and Dart are starting to build that chemistry and continuity.”
NY Giants have exciting rookie on Fields
Selected with the 74th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Giants have always been high on the Virginia transfer coming out of Notre Dame. New York does not expect him to become the No. 1 target for Dart—at least not on paper—but the G-Men hope that Fields can become a reliable option right from the get-go.
Malachi Fields during the NFL Combine.
With their top two wideouts sidelined to start OTAs, the rookie could get an early chance to showcase his abilities and establish himself in John Harbaugh’s offense. As it stands, the top three pass-catching options for the Giants to start OTAs are newcomers to the roster: Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, and TE Isaiah Likely. Thus, New York could get a very early preview of what it paid for during the offseason.
Giants find silver lining
Provided both Nabers and Slayton are fully healthy for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, their absences may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Although everybody is settling in onto Harbaugh’s new system, these early practices are even more important for Fields and the new players in the Big Apple.
Who knows? Maybe Big Blue will not miss Nabers and Slayton too much during the opening days of camp. By the time the 2026 NFL regular season rolls around, however, that will be a different story. And the Giants will need all hands on deck, especially the old reliable pairs of Nabers and Slayton.
Fields’ stats in college
New York saw something in Fields during his days in Charlottesville and South Bend. It’s all about exploiting it in the NFL. If his numbers are any showing, however, the Giants should be in a good place to start off.
Last season, Fields caught 36 passes for 630 yards (17.5 average) and five touchdowns. Though it was his lowest catches total in a full college season, he still matched his career-best for TDs. In fact, Fields has caught five touchdown passes in all of his last three campaigns. All in all, he closed out his collegiate career with a total of 165 catches, 2,479 yards, and 16 touchdowns.
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