The New York Giants may be facing a much longer wait for Malik Nabers than originally expected, and concern around the young NFL receiver’s recovery is beginning to grow inside league circles.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN insider Adam Schefter delivered a troubling assessment of Nabers’ rehab from a serious knee injury suffered last season.

“We’ll start off with the fact that he’s in the building, he’s working hard, he’s rehabbing, he’s trying to get back as soon as he can,” Schefter said. “But saying all that, I just don’t like the way that any of this sounds, right?

“There’s a second knee surgery. There’s some scar tissue and stiffness that they need to address. It’s a complicated procedure. They don’t know if he’ll be ready for opening day.”

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Schefter revealed that Nabers underwent a second knee surgery to address scar tissue and stiffness following his ACL and meniscus repair. According to Schefter, the situation has become complicated enough that the Giants no longer know whether Nabers will be available for the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

“It certainly sounds like, at the very least, opening night against the Dallas Cowboys at home is in jeopardy,” Schefter added. “And it almost feels like, at this point in time, that it would be more unlikely that he would play in that game than it is likely that he would play in that game.”

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Giants offense built around Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart

The concern extends far beyond one player’s health. Nabers is supposed to be a foundational piece alongside second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. The two barely shared the field together before Nabers tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers last season.

“Jaxson Dart is the quarterback of the future there,” Schefter said. “If we go back to last year, when they finally called on Jaxson Dart, Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers played one half of football together.

“This should be the Giants’ future together, their star quarterback, their star receiver, and we have not gotten to see them play because in the first half of that game last year against the Chargers, Nabers tore his ACL, did other damage to the knee, went out of the game, and now has had two surgeries since then.”

That is why the timeline matters so much. New coach John Harbaugh arrived to stabilize a franchise coming off a 4-13 season. The organization spent the offseason rebuilding the offensive structure around Dart with additions like Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III, but neither changes the offense the way Nabers does.

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The biggest issue is not simply missing Week 1. Repeated procedures on the same knee often create setbacks in explosiveness and confidence, especially for receivers whose game depends on sharp cuts and acceleration.

The Giants can manage short-term absences with depth. What they cannot afford is uncertainty around the player expected to define their offensive identity for years ahead.