The Giants definitely will have one of their best players (wide receiver Malik Nabers) for Sunday’s Week 1 game at Washington, but likely won’t have another (left tackle Andrew Thomas).
Thomas is listed as doubtful, as he continues to recover from foot surgery that ended his 2024 season after just six games. Thomas got hurt Oct. 13 — just shy of 11 months ago — but he still isn’t fully healthy. That has to be a significant concern for the Giants.
Thomas is the only player on the Giants’ final injury report for this week.
Nabers is not listed on the report — meaning he will play in Washington — even though he did not practice Friday, due to a back issue that bothered him throughout training camp. We’ll see if that continues to be an issue.
Nabers practiced fully on Wednesday and Thursday, before sitting out Friday.
Remember, separate from the back issue, Nabers has experienced nagging injuries to his groin and toe since joining the Giants last year. Both are problems that have lingered since his college days at LSU.
Thomas was a limited participant Wednesday and Friday, but did not practice Thursday — an ominous sign for his availability this week.
The Giants will turn to James Hudson, who struggled in the preseason, as Thomas’ replacement. Their offense desperately needs to get Thomas back on the field soon. They have already seen (many times) how bad they are without Thomas, who was limited to 10 games in 2023.
Thomas’ absence Sunday means he will have played just 16 of 35 games since he signed a lucrative second contract before the 2023 season. That contract, because of durability woes, looks underwhelming so far.
So even though the Giants are almost entirely healthy as they begin coach Brian Daboll’s hot-seat fourth season, their lone absence will be an enormous one for a still-rebuilding line that has dragged this franchise down for so many seasons.
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Darryl Slater may be reached atdslater@njadvancemedia.com.
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