The rough landing that made Malik Nabers miss two games was apparently news to Malik Nabers.
A day after being officially cleared from the NFL concussion protocol, the New York Giants rookie discussed the play that caused his concussion with reporters after Giants practice on Friday. While he answered questions about the circumstances around the play, per ESPN, he could not recall the injury itself:
“It was scary when I couldn’t remember what happened,” Nabers said. “I can’t remember the last play I was in, so yeah, it was kind of scary.
“Last thing I remember was [Jones] throwing me the ball. That was it.”
Such memory loss isn’t uncommon with concussions, but concerning nonetheless. Nabers also reportedly said he experienced headaches and throbbing in his head after the injury, which he claimed was first known concussion.
The play in question saw Nabers lay out for a pass down the sideline from Daniel Jones in the fourth quarter of a “Thursday Night Football” game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. Nabers failed to come down with the ball and landed with his helmet absorbing much of his downward momentum.
He remained down after the play, and didn’t appear in the game again.
Nabers proceeded to miss the Giants’ next two games, a win against the Seattle Seahawks and a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The concussion interrupted an amazing start to Nabers’ NFL career. Through Week 4, he led all NFL receivers in receptions with 35 and was tied for second in receiving yards with 386. The Giants selected him sixth overall out of LSU in the 2024 NFL Draft and did not hesitate to make him the focal point of an offense trying to do its best with Daniel Jones still throwing passes.
That workload increases the risk of injury for Nabers, though, and they can only hope the concussion is the worst issue he has this season. The team made a bet on its present by drafting him rather than a quarterback, but he is already a vital part of its future.
Nabers is now set to return Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was reportedly limited in practice Friday with a groin issue, but carries no injury designation going into the game.