Giants Coach John Harbaugh Won't Say If Starters Play Friday Against the Jets
Malik Nabers is already expected to sit out the preseason finale, and Jaxson Dart's status remains unresolved a day out.
Giants coach John Harbaugh has not said whether his starters will play in Friday's preseason finale against the Jets. Malik Nabers will not be one of them.
Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday he would "leave it up in the air right now" on which players see the field. He called it "a balancing act of what we gain the most from with the least amount of risk." ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported the same day that Harbaugh would not commit to playing his starters, and noted that Jaxson Dart and other regulars would go almost a month without game action if they sit out.
Big Blue View reported that Harbaugh told WFAN's Boomer & Gio he was "waffling" on whether to play him Friday. Dart last played in the preseason opener on Aug. 15. The Giants open the regular season against the Cowboys on Sept. 13.
Nabers, the Giants' top receiver, is not expected to play regardless of what Harbaugh decides for the rest of the roster. He shed his red no-contact jersey Monday for the first time since tearing his ACL and meniscus last season and took part in live drills. Two days later, he left practice early with a trainer. Harbaugh said the exit "wasn't part of the plan" but was not injury-related. SI's Patricia Traina, who covers the team on-site, reported that Nabers wasn't expected to play Friday even before that early exit.
Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 4 of last season against the Chargers. He had surgery in October and a second procedure this year to clear scar tissue, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. He finished last season with 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in four games before the injury.
Other regulars are already out or limited. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt remains sidelined with a leg and ankle injury and is trending toward injured reserve. Wide receiver Calvin Austin III is out for the season with a torn ACL. Tight ends Theo Johnson and Tanner Conner both missed Wednesday's practice. Defensive lineman Shelby Harris sat out team drills, which Harbaugh attributed to workload management, not injury.
Harbaugh has tied the decision to a broader shift in how teams treat preseason finales. The NFL cut the preseason from four games to three when it moved to a 17-game regular season in 2021. Starters playing deep into the third preseason game, once a "dress rehearsal" tradition, has largely disappeared around the league.
The Giants play the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Giants must cut their roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET Sunday.