Jaxson Dart’s sophomore campaign was supposed to be exciting for the New York Giants. But things are getting concerning in their receiver room ahead of training camp. Malik Nabers is returning from tearing his ACL last year, and his status is far from clear for week one. ESPN’s Mina Kimes recently broke down just how much Dart’s growth depends on the star WR’s return.
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“For me, it’s all contingent on Malik Nabers,” she said on ESPN NFL Live. “If Malik Nabers comes back and he looks like he did his rookie season, then yeah, I’m a believer. … I think the other skill players fall into like a nice natural order with Nabers as the number one. Adding Isaiah Likely was a good addition. Sounds like Cam Skattebo was on schedule. All of that sounds great. But if you take Nabers out of this group, this is one of the weakest groups of skill players in the entire NFL.
“And when I think about the things you want to see from Dart in terms of his development, playing a little faster, throwing with anticipation, scrambling less, it’s hard for me to imagine him making that leap if Nabers isn’t on the field for the majority of this season.”
“If you take [Malik] Nabers out of this group, this is one of the weakest groups of skill players in the entire NFL.” @minakimes believes Jaxson Dart's success heavily depends on the Giants' WR 🗣️
Nabers went down last September against the Los Angeles Chargers. He took a blow to his right knee while trying to catch a deep pass from Jaxson Dart. After an MRI confirmed a torn ACL, Nabers’ season ended right there. Up until then, he’d only gotten through four games before it happened, picking up 18 catches for 271 yards.
The WR had to undergo a cleanup surgery to the afflicted area this spring, and general manager Joe Schoen is optimistic about his Week 1 return.
With Nabers out, the Giants’ passing attack has to rely on Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, and Calvin Austin III to pick up the slack. All three have been in the league longer than Nabers, but only Mooney was able to record a season with more than 1,000 receiving yards on the board. This was also back in 2021, when he was with the Chicago Bears.
Tight end Isaiah Likely can only do so much. He himself is looking for a fresh start with the Giants, having played for the Baltimore Ravens since 2022. He has yet to record 500 yards in a season.
Dart has good pieces on the offense otherwise, like Skattebo and fullback Patrick Ricard. The star RB, who unfortunately also went down with a season-ending injury as a rookie last year, is optimistic about a Week 1 return. Ricard and is also going to be a massive boost for the run game as a blocker, having helped out dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson and star RB Derrick Henry at Baltimore.
However, without a prime Malik Nabers, Jaxson Dart and Co. might not be able to do much in the New York offense.