NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants
Sep 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) looks on before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
The status of Malik Nabers is up in the air ahead of the New York Giants‘ Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
Nabers spent the offseason recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in 2025, and while he has practiced in full this week, he is also questionable and neither he nor head coach John Harbaugh have committed to the former first-round pick suiting up on Sunday.
“They’re leaving that decision up to me,” Nabers said when asked if he’ll play in Week 1, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
MORE: Malik Nabers’ comments put Week 1 availability in doubt
“I can just say this right now. Can we put a stop to all these questions because I’m not going to tell you who’s playing in the game. I’m not going to tell you who’s starting,” Harbaugh explained when asked about Nabers’ status.
On Saturday, the Giants are reportedly making a roster move that could be an indication Nabers won’t play in Week 1.
Giants roster move puts Nabers’ status in doubt
NFL: New York Giants Training Camp
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) talks with media during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
According to Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, the Giants are signing wide receiver and special teams contributor Dalen Cambre to the 53-man roster.
“Giants are signing WR/ST Dalen Cambre to the 53-man roster, per sources. Sense I get is that they’re still going through combos of what game day roster will look like with actives/inactives and Malik Nabers’ status,” Stapleton reported.
In the opinion of Connor Hughes of SNY, the move could be a sign that Nabers isn’t going to play.
MORE: Predicting NFL Week 1 upsets for 2026 season
“Activating another WR I don’t think bodes well for Malik Nabers. But we’ll see,” Hughes wrote.
What to make of Giants’ roster move
NFL: New York Giants Training Camp
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) walks on the field after practice during training camp at The Greenbrier Resort Sports Performance Center. Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
So, there’s a few ways to look at this.
As Hughes points out, this could be an indication that Nabers won’t play against the Cowboys.
But this could also just be a move to add another body to the roster.
After all, the Giants are only carrying four wide receivers on their 53-man roster before promoting Cambre.
MORE: John Harbaugh gets annoyed at reporters over Darius Slayton questions
Big Blue also has three more wide receivers on its practice squad, including Charlie Jones, Jalin Hyatt and Braxton Berrios.
We would assume one of those players will get elevated if Nabers doesn’t play, as the Giants will need a more experienced pass-catcher than Cambre, who has zero catches in the NFL.
Berrios, Hyatt and Jones are all more experienced than Cambre.
We can’t say for sure the true motivation behind this roster move, and we may not know the answer until right before kickoff on Sunday night.