New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers is on the road to recovery, and if his latest social media activity is any indication, the 22-year-old looks on track to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season. And Giants fans should be thrilled.
Nabers missed the final 13 games of the 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished Year 2 with 18 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. It was a brutal blow after he literally set receiving records as a rookie, and his absence was obvious every Sunday without their top playmaker.
Big Blue received some encouraging news on Monday when Leek posted a series of pictures on his Instagram account, showing off his rehab process:
Malik Nabers is back in the gym 💪
— Fireside Giants (@FiresideGiants) February 23, 2026
Leek posted pics of him training and rehabbing amidst his injury recovery on Instagram.
Great to him getting back at it! 🔥#NYGiants pic.twitter.com/1O5kW58bse
Giants finally get encouraging update on Malik Nabers’ return
There is no overstating how much Leek means to the Giants' offense. In 2024, the then-21-year-old caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. If the stats won't convince you how important he was to the offense, consider this: the former LSU star led the league in targets per game (11.33), finished second in total targets (170), and commanded the highest target share (34.91%).
All of that production and trust went away in an instant with his injury.
Although he’s on the mend now, his recovery process hasn’t exactly been smooth. Videos surfaced of Nabers at Ciara’s birthday party with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Brian Burns after he tore his ACL but before surgery. It rubbed fans the wrong way watching their star receiver dance like no one was watching, without a surgery date even on the calendar.
As it turns out, he was waiting for the swelling to go down before going under the knife, which is far more common than people realize. Still, real relief didn’t set in until he finally had surgery nearly a month after the injury.
But all of that's all in the past now. It's time for Big Blue Nation to look ahead to better times.
General manager Joe Schoen also addressed Nabers’ recovery during his media session at the NFL Combine, just a day after the social media drop, saying he won’t guarantee Leek will be ready for Week 1 but that he’s trending in the right direction. Giants fans with another win.
Nabers is the G-Men's undisputed WR1 heading into the 2026 season. Having him ready for Week 1 is crucial. The offense looks a lot different when No. 1 is out there.