Everything considered, New York Giants receiver Malik Nabers’ training camp performance is exactly what John Harbaugh should have wanted.
Although Nabers isn’t a full participant just yet, he’s made substantial progress while recovering from last year’s torn ACL. Nabers is surprisingly not wearing a non-contact jersey only months after undergoing a follow-up procedure on his right knee.
Harbaugh likes what he’s seen, though, and praised Giants medical staffer Allison Boudreau following Friday’s practice. When a reporter pointed out that Nabers is being more aggressive in planting and using his right knee, Harbaugh acknowledged he felt the same way.
“She’s been working on situations where you’re off-balance, landing off-balance, in unpredictable type situations that you’re going to get rather than just doing normal rehab and then going out there and all of a sudden being surprised by the awkwardness of football,” Harbaugh said of Boudreau. “Try to create those as much as you can.”
What to know about Giants medical assistant Allison Boudreau
Boudreau, who graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University, is officially the team’s Coordinator of Rehabilitation & Return to Play. It’s a long title, but one that Giants fans won’t mind so long as she continues to help players get healthy. Far easier said than done, though.
An All-American track and field athlete in college, Boudreau began her strength and conditioning career as an intern at Northwestern in 2016. Initially, she was a football sports performance intern, then left to work for a sports training company in Illinois. Her roles included working with football players ahead of the NFL Combine and draft.
Boudreau also served as the athletics physical therapist at South Carolina State before joining the University of Miami in 2024. She overlapped with Giants rookie offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa in Coral Gables.
The Giants hired Boudreau earlier this year, giving her an immensely prominent role only four years after obtaining her doctorate from Northwestern.
Boudreau also stands out because she’d never worked directly under Harbaugh in Baltimore. The longtime Ravens coach brought over various players and nearly 20 staffers who’d previously been with him in Baltimore, including tight end Isaiah Likely, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, and ex-Giants star Odell Beckham Jr.
Harbaugh’s compliments for Boudreau follow an offseason in which he consistently raved about Megan Rosburg, a defensive assistant and assistant to the head coach. He even called her the Giants’ “most valuable coach” at one point.
Regardless of her background or collegiate achievements, Boudreau will be judged solely on situations like Nabers’. All signs point to him playing against the Cowboys in Week 1, which is a massive upgrade over the mounting doubt in June and July. As of Aug. 8, the Giants have also avoided any significant injuries during training camp.
Boudreau’s job description is a mouthful, but she could easily become a favorite of Giants fans, especially among those who follow baseball. Yankees fans have seen enough mysterious injury timelines in recent years to last them a lifetime.
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