Soreness That Won't Quit Is Starting to Shape the Offense Around It

Malik Nabers played through the knee soreness last week, which was good. But he's now been Questionable in back-to-back weeks with the same issue, and that's a different kind of news. At some point the question stops being "will he play Sunday" and starts being "what does the offense look like when it can't count on him being full go."

The Giants built this year around Nabers being the centerpiece McCarthy throws to. He missed most of 2025 recovering from a torn ACL, came back this fall, and the plan was always contingent on him staying healthy. Wan'Dale Robinson is a legitimate option — 1,014 receiving yards last season — and the receiver room has depth it didn't have a year ago. But Nabers at full speed is a different conversation than Nabers managed through soreness, and the offense is still finding its footing with a rookie quarterback under center.

What makes this worth watching isn't any single game. It's that recurring soreness on a knee that was surgically repaired less than 18 months ago tends to require management, and management means limitations. The Giants don't have the margin to absorb a prolonged stretch without their best receiver operating freely. The running game gives them a floor — Tracy, Skattebo, and the rest of that backfield can keep them competitive — but the ceiling shrinks considerably if Nabers keeps showing up on the injury report every Thursday.