The Cowboys could end up getting a slight advantage in Week 1 regarding Malik Nabers’ status.
The recent rumblings are that he may not be 100% by Week 1. And if he can’t play, that’s a game-changer for NY.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Pro Bowl practice at Moscone Center South on February 02, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys will open the season against the New York Giants, the NFL leaked early in the morning of Monday May 11 prior to the full scheduling announcement at 8PM ET.
The in-division opener will be a staunch test for how the Cowboys’ defensive side of the ball has managed to rebuild this past offseason after a brutal 2025 season that saw them come 30th in total defense.
However, the biggest threat of the Giants offense – Pro Bowl wideout Malik Nabers – may not end up being present on the team, as Marcus Mosher reports he may not be ready for Week 1 as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear suffered in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Cowboys could end up getting a slight advantage in Week 1 regarding Malik Nabers’ status.
The recent rumblings are that he may not be 100% by Week 1. And if he can’t play, that’s a game-changer for NY.
“The Cowboys could end up getting a slight advantage in Week 1 regarding Malik Nabers’ status.” Mosher posted on X after the game announcement. “The recent rumblings are that he may not be 100% by Week 1. And if he can’t play, that’s a game-changer for NY.”
Despite some draft rumors swirling to the country, the Giants did not end up selecting a wide receiver early on in the draft with one of their two top-10 picks, instead picking up linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa. Although they did draft former Notre Dame wideout Malachi Fields early on in the third round.
Consequently, unless Fields shows himself to be some Puka Nacua-like phenom, there won’t be anyone in the Giants’ receiving room who will be giving Dallas’ secondary any real nightmares leading up to the encounter, if Nabers is either out of the game or not playing up to his full ability.
Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney are both serviceable starters, but neither truly strikes fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators around the NFL. And 2024 third rounder Jalin Hyatt & new addition Calvin Austin III have not proven themselves to be much more than speed options along the perimeter.
Nabers will have had almost a year to recover by the team the Week 1 encounter arrives on September 13, 2026.
And whilst ACL tears are incredibly severe injuries, advances in sports science and medicine have made it such that they nowhere near the career-ending, or at least career-altering ailment that it was in decades past.
Four months out from Week 1 it is hard to say exactly what Nabers’ playing or health status will look like, although if Mosher’s reports are correct it would seem to imply that the former sixth overall pick is perhaps slightly behind schedule on his rehabilitation.
If he does play, he will certainly create problems for a Cowboys defense that could have up to seven new starters in Week 1, including three on the back end of the defense. All-Pro corner DaRon Bland will likely be charged with pursuing him for much of — if not all — of the game on September 13.
At this point it is far too early to tell exactly how Nabers will be come Week 1, but there is no doubt that his status could have a huge effect on the opener’s outcome.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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