The New York Giants will begin training camp with one of the healthiest rosters a fanbase could ask for. After an offseason full of bad beats -- Roy Robertson-Harris, Thaddeus Dixon, and Gunner Olszewski all tore their Achilles -- only one player remains on the PUP list.
Notably, Malik Nabers was not it. And not only was he not on the list, but he's actually been making significant progress since the second-surgery cleanup update from earlier in the offseason.
Robertson-Harris is the lone ranger on the PUP list entering training camp after both Thomas Fidone and Sam Roberts cleared their physicals on Tuesday. Not seeing Leek's name was the biggest sigh of relief Giants fans could ask for after an offseason downpour's worth of negative Nabers updates.
Just because Nabers wasn't on the PUP list doesn't mean he's going to be Mossing defensive backs at training camp. But it is a great step in his recovery and availability for Week 1, as pointed out by The Athletic’s Dan Duggan:
"Avoiding the PUP list is encouraging for Nabers’ potential to be ready for the Sept. 13 season opener against the Cowboys. But there are still no assurances, and it doesn’t mean Nabers is 100 percent healthy."
Malik Nabers injury update is huge news for the Giants entering training camp
Fans will get a better feel for what Leek can do at camp once new head coach John Harbaugh and Nabers himself take the podium at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
On Day 1 of training camp, general manager Joe Schoen told reporters that Nabers has been doing individual drills, including running and cutting. Schoen mentioned that they'll be patient and hope for his return, but definitive timeline just yet. Even still, I'm not freaking out; you are.
Considering how anemic the offense, especially the passing game, looked without the 23-year-old superstar, getting Leek back to full health would be an absolute game-changer for a team that's hoping to finally make it out of the basement.
Wan'Dale Robinson took most of the targets that would have belonged to Nabers last season en route to a career year. He parlayed said career year into a four-year, $72 million free-agency deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Big Blue signed a bunch of veterans to split the difference, but relying on a rotation of Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin III, an over-the-hill Odell Beckham Jr., and rookie Malachi Fields is a gamble they take at their own peril.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 receivers in the league ahead of the new season, with Nabers coming in at No. 20. There's no doubt his injury played a factor in the ranking process -- even PFF admitted he's a top-10 wide receiver in the NFL at his best. Coming into 2025, he was ranked 12th in the same exercise.
There's just no other offensive skill position player on the team who comes close to sniffing the top 20 in their respective position group, which is why Nabers being on the PUP list is so important.
Keeping Malik Nabers off the PUP list is the shot in the arm the Giants needed heading into camp, especially after the brutal string of offseason injuries they've already endured.
He might not be at 100% just yet, but having a weapon like Leek on the field changes almost everything for this offense. If Harbaugh is going to exorcise those playoff demons in Year 1, he absolutely needs his WR1 out there making cornerbacks look silly.
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