Malik Nabers’ second preseason appearance contained a little bit of everything, from his first catch to the rookie’s first memorable hooking of a game.
Late in the second quarter, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones threw the ball down the right sideline, allowing Nabers to rise above Texans cornerback Kris Boyd, scoop the ball up with both hands and slam it down with both feet before hitting the sideline.
“It’s a game that deserves to be celebrated if you’re a Texan,” commentator Bob Papa said. “You just have to celebrate a guy who makes a good game.”
There have been plenty of flashes of Nabers’ potential during the early stages of training camp, and while he continued to flash the talent that allowed him to finish with 1,569 receiving yards last year with LSU in the Giants’ preseason opener last weekend, the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft hasn’t attracted a target from quarterback Drew Lock.
But on Saturday, Jones, logging his first snaps in a preseason game since tearing his ACL last year, tried to connect with Nabers on the Giants’ first play.
Nabers, however, had an injury scare just six days ago when he suffered a slight ankle sprain after making an impressive landing during training.
In the days following his injury, Nabers said he had “no doubt” he would play in the Giants’ Week 1 game against the Vikings, but he later recovered to the point where he was able to start against the Texans.
“As a football player, you always think the worst if you can’t play,” Nabers said Tuesday. “So to hear the good news come back, that it was really nothing and it was just going to take some rehab and time, it was good to hear.”
Jones and Nabers nearly connected again late in the Giants’ opening drive Saturday, and he finished the first half with four receptions for 54 yards as the offense found some rhythm after Jones’ disastrous start with two interceptions — including one for six — on their first three drives.
Head coach Brian Daboll pulled his starting forwards after halftime.
