With New York Giants’ star wide receiver Malik Nabers feared to have suffered a significant knee injury, this veteran must make a huge leap for the rest of the 2025 season.
Despite winning their first game of the 2025 NFL season, the New York Giants were not in a celebratory mood following the victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in week four.
This was due to the franchise’s star wide receiver and 2024 first-round pick, Malik Nabers, suffering a knee injury on Sunday that forced him out of the contest in the middle of the second quarter. And unfortunately for head coach Brian Daboll, his elite playmaker is feared to have torn his ACL.
While fans anxiously wait for the final assessment of his injury, New York is now in desperate need of a wide receiver to step into his role for the rest of the season. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was able to find a way to lead the Giants to a victory on Sunday, but it’s clear that the 2025 first-round pick will need a proven, veteran pass catcher to fill the void if Nabers does miss the entire year.
One option could be to trade for an established receiver to help Dart during his first year in the league. However, with the franchise unable to afford giving up significant draft capital and the lack of receivers on the trading block, it seems unlikely that general manager Joe Schoen would make a move. Instead, Daboll must turn to the likes of longtime Giant Darius Slayton to help Dart and the passing game.
The former 2019 fifth-round draft pick has been a key part of the team’s offense since making it to the NFL, tallying over 4,032 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in his seven years with the organization. Slayton was never able to solidify himself as New York’s clear-cut top pass catcher, as his best season with the team came as a rookie and resulted in 740 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2019.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
Now, with the current state of the wide receiver corps, the Giants have no other option but to lean on Slayton for the rest of the year. Fellow pass catcher Wan’Dale Robinson has proved to play a large role on the offensive attack, but is limited to his role in the slot.
And outside of Nabers, Robinson and Slayton, New York does not have a single wide receiver who has caught a pass this season. As the primary outside threat for Dart, the Giants must focus on getting their rookie quarterback on the same page as Slayton in order to find success in 2025.
Outside of Slayton and Robinson, former 2022 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt is the other wideout who must prove himself without Nabers. Since being selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Hyatt has been disappointing for the Giants, as he’s notched 31 catches for 435 yards in his first two seasons.
The 24-year-old did not play in the team’s first two games of the season, but when Nabers went down, Hyatt logged 29 snaps against the Chargers in week four. If the speedy wideout can take the next step in his development, he would become a solid deep threat for Daboll and Dart.