Optimism that New York Giants star receiver Malik Nabers will be healthy for the start of the season rose considerably on Wednesday's first day of training camp workouts.
Nabers is nine months removed from surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. He did more individual work than observers anticipated and coach John Harbaugh was pleased with what he saw.
"You saw him. He looked good," Harbaugh said after the workout at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. "He's got a process going."
As for Thursday's work amount, Harbaugh said it will depend how Nabers' knee responds.
"We'll see where he's at," Harbaugh said. "Part of it will be that -- how it feels, how it responds, how it reacts, all those things. I think our guys, our trainers and staff, will be monitoring. See how the knee responds more than anything.
"We'll just take it one day at a time. It was encouraging today."
Nabers, who turned 23 on Tuesday, was an immediate star as a rookie when he caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. He earned Pro Bowl honors.
But he saw action in just four games last season when he had 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He injured the knee against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 28 and underwent surgery exactly one month later.
Harbaugh is in his first season with the Giants after 18 campaigns as the Baltimore Ravens' head coach. He knows not to rush an injured player back at the outset of camp.
"I think you take it one day at a time," Harbaugh said. "We'll meet the circumstances where we find them every single day. I mean, maybe he'll get way ahead, maybe he won't, whatever. You can't really put a timetable on it exactly, I don't think. I think you just see where it goes because we want him to be at his best.
"So, when he's ready to be at his best, he'll be at his best. And if you work hard every day, the body's amazing. So, he's been doing that. So, that's really what matters, and that's all we try to really measure."
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart was pleased to see Nabers flying around the practice field.
"Well, he definitely has a presence about him," Dart said of Nabers. "There's an aura that he has on the field that is exhilarating. It makes me happy. It makes everybody happy just to see him out there. I think for him, he's had a lot of positives. We're just going to continue to get him in slowly. He's doing a great job with how he's attacking his recovery. I've got all the confidence in the world in him and his approach to the game and how much he's missed being out there with the guys."
Also, Giants running back Cam Skattebo was on the field as he returns from a major ankle injury sustained last Oct. 26 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"He got through it just fine," Harbaugh said of Skattebo. "Looked good. It was good to see."
Skattebo rushed for 401 yards and five touchdowns and added two receiving scores in eight games before the injury.
--Field Level Media