Giants' John Harbaugh sheds light on Malik Nabers injury timeline

John Harbaugh and the New York Giants started Phase III of OTAs on Tuesday in East Rutherford, and while the attention has been on second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart and his new offense, a looming question surrounds star wide receiver Malik Nabers.

When it comes to the Giants' defense, the team has changed quite a bit since they traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and are heading into the new season with No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese as a bright spot in their defensive scheme.

But, back to offense. Heading into the season, an important question to answer is when exactly Nabers will be back following his ACL injury. Nabers tore his ACL during Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, so it's been a minute since he's been on the field.

When does Giants' John Harbaugh think Malik Nabers will return? It's not good

On Thursday, Harbaugh opened up about Nabers, and even though he sounded optimistic, his update was concerning, because Nabers' injury status could go either way.

The head coach said that Nabers was "in the slug of it, the grind of it," according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, and said the injury, sadly, was "not a simple knee." He also said that he doesn't know when Nabers will be able to return but that the "goal" is for him to be a part of training camp and possibly, but not definitely, be available to start the season.

Harbaugh added the Giants will "be ready to go either way."

"Either way" isn't exactly what Giants fans want to hear about the likelihood of their star wide receiver being able to play in September. But, Harbaugh has been doing this for more than 18 years, so even if Nabers can't start the season, he surely has a backup plan.