Malik Nabers injury: Giants WR ruled out vs. Seahawks with concussion; how offense will operate without him

Wide receiver Malik Nabers has been the only redeeming quality in the New York Giants 2024 season to some, and now the team will be without its superstar receiver on Sunday at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, per head coach Brian Daboll.

He remains in concussion protocol after leaving the fourth quarter of the team’s 20-15 “Thursday Night Football” defeat against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. Nabers, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, caught 12 passes for 115 yards, tied for the most in a game by a receiver in franchise history. He leads the entire NFL in both catches (35) and targets (52). Nabers’ 35 catches are the second-most in a player’s first four games since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger 

Naturally, his absence leaves a big void: Nabers’ 38.2% team target rate is the highest in the NFL with decent separation between him and the second-closest player. That would be Detroit Lions All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown who accounts for 31.1% of his team’s targets.

The logical new WR1 for quarterback Daniel Jones would be 2022 second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson. He caught 11 passes for 71 yards in Week 4, making him and Nabers the first duo in Giants history to each have 11 or more catches in a game. Robinson’s 38 targets this season, even with Nabers in the game, are tied for the seventh-most in the entire league. That’s more than than CeeDee Lamb (32 targets), Tyreek Hill (30 targets) and Garrett Wilson (35 targets) have in 2024. Robinson is second in New York in targets, catches (26), receiving yards (194) and receiving touchdowns (one) to only Nabers this season. 

Nabers’ absence could also open up opportunity for Giants second-year receiver Jalin Hyatt, a 2023 third-round pick out of Tennessee. The speedster left college football as the 2022 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, the best receiver in college football, after leading the SEC in receiving yards (1,267)  and totaling 15 receiving touchdowns, tied for the second-most in college football. This season, Hyatt has three targets without a catch. 

“I’m a competitor, I want to be out there and be able to play and obviously, I didn’t have a lot of chances this season,” Hyatt said, via USA Today, on Thursday. “But like I said, it’s a long season, things happen, injuries happen, and I got to be ready, I got to be ready whenever my number’s called. And if it is called this week, I’ll be ready.”

Jones himself expressed faith in Hyatt despite the numbers not matching his words through the first quarter of 2024. 

“I think Jalin has handled it well. He’s a pro, he’s a mature guy,” Jones said. “You’ve seen it out at practice. He’s continued to show up and make a lot of plays. I know it’s frustrating for a guy not to get those opportunities on Sunday, but I thought he’s handled it well. I have a ton of confidence in him out there making plays, changing the game with his speed and ability to get behind the defense. So, I know he’ll be ready to go.”  

The Seahawks have been stingy in pass coverage this season, allowing the seventh-fewest passing yards per game (167.5) and the third-fewest air yards per pass attempt (5.8) in the entire NFL. Perhaps Hyatt’s game breaking speed that he put on display at Tennessee gets utilized on Sunday.