Giants WR Malik Nabers Upset with Himself Following Jets Practice

During their joint practice, the Jets mostly dominated the Giants on both sides of the ball.
Jul 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (9) speaks at a press conference after training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
Jul 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (9) speaks at a press conference after training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. / Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports
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Florham Park, N.J. – One look at New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers’s face told the story of his day against the New York Jets defense.

“I had too many drops,” Nabers said, visibly upset with himself. “I mean, I had a lot of catches that could have been made on the field, so that was about me, but it was a great competition day, a great work day.”

Nabers going against Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was the matchup that many onlookers were anxious to see. While the two did square off against teach other, Nabers saw more of DJ Reed during the team drills..

Regardless of who he faced, Nabers, who takes pride in his practices and his game, wasn’t happy with his performance, especially his final play of the afternoon, in which he failed to haul in a ball that would have gone for a touchdown after he got behind Gardner.

“Yeah, it bothered me it bothered me pretty bad,” he said. “If I had to do it again, you know I would work on something different on catching the ball, but I just go look at it, see what I can do better, and just practice that kind of throw again, practice that kind of play, practice getting my eyes off faster and finding the ball really in the air.”

Nabers said he would review the film as soon as possible to see what he could have done differently and then get right back to work on Thursday when the Giants hold their final practice of training camp. They will then close out the preseason against the Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.

Lest anyone think Nabers was a sullen loser, he offered props to the Jets defense, including Gardner, who taunted the Giants at the end of the practice by blowing kisses and waving them off the field.

“He can do that,” Nabers said of Gadner. “They won the day.”

Gardner, meanwhile, had nothing but praise for the Giants' rookie receiver. “He’s nice,” he said, adding that Nabers reminds him some of JaMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson. 

“He’s very sudden when it comes to getting in and out of his breaks. He’s gonna be a really good player.



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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.