EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is not expected to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list, a source told ESPN. It's a step in the right direction following a serious knee injury last year.
The Giants announced Thursday that defensive linemen Roy Robertson-Harris (Achilles) and Sam Roberts (N/A) and tight end Thomas Fidone II (foot) were placed on the PUP list before the start of training camp.
New York's rookies and quarterbacks reported Thursday. Veterans are scheduled to report Tuesday before the team travels to West Virginia for the start of training camp later that day.
Coach John Harbaugh said recently on "The Domonique Foxworth Show" that there was "optimism" with Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo. Both suffered season-ending injuries last year.
Skattebo, who fractured an ankle last season, returned to practice in the spring. Nabers did not. He had a second surgery on his right knee earlier this year to clean out scar tissue, and Harbaugh conceded it was "not a simple" injury.
Nabers, 22, spent a good chunk of his summer rehabbing at the Giants' facility, sources told ESPN. That was an important step as he navigates the difficult road back. He was injured in Week 4 last season.
Now it's a matter of what he's able to do during training camp. The Giants are expected to bring him along slowly, and just because he's not on PUP, that doesn't mean he will be practicing immediately. New York has seven-plus weeks until its opener on "Sunday Night Football" against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.
But it appears that Nabers is making progress.
"Working his way into practice as camp gets started one way or the another," Harbaugh said recently. "To what degree, we will find out. But there is a lot of optimism around [Nabers and Skattebo]."
Nabers' rehab hasn't gone smoothly. The Giants originally thought he would likely be ready for the start of training camp, then audibled their projected timeline to sometime this summer before settling on being "hopeful" for Week 1.
Harbaugh said this spring that Nabers was in the "slog of it." Nabers participated in Brian Burns' celebrity softball game at the end of May but was not running well.
Nabers had a record-breaking rookie season in 2024 after being selected with the sixth pick out of LSU. He caught a franchise-record 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns.
The wide receiver looked ready to build upon that success. He had 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns before the injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers in his sophomore season.
His 127 receptions through the first 19 games of his career rank second to Odell Beckham Jr. in NFL history for the most through 20 games.