The first pass that the Giants throw Thursday might already be telegraphed as targeted for Malik Nabers.
You can bet the Cowboys defensive backs are waiting to jump a route.
Two days after Nabers griped that he doesn’t have enough opportunities to make plays early in games and one day after head coach/play-caller Brian Daboll took the blame for it, the rookie receiver explained why he needs to get off to a fast start.
“If you start later on in a game, it’s like your body’s not ready,” Nabers said. “You come into the game prepared, right? If you take one quarter off, two quarters off, your body just starts lacking.
“It’s like you don’t even want to play no more. I’m not saying that’s how I feel. I’m just saying that’s your body. You’re not getting involved early, then you’re not getting the feel of the ball, you’re not getting hit. After football plays as an offense, after you get hit, you’re like, ‘All right, I’m ready to go.’ ”
Nabers has two total first-half catches in the last three games combined. He wasn’t targeted until the first play of the third quarter in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, which caused him to say that he “can’t do nothing [if I] start getting the ball when it’s 30-0” and “talk to Dabes about that” game plan.
“I get in the third quarter and I’m not as energetic as I was before. That’s all I was saying,” Nabers clarified. “I need to get the ball early so I can make a change on the game early on instead of just later on in the game.”
The Giants only ran 15 offensive plays in the first half.
Nabers uncharacteristically used Coachspeak to point to “a lack of technique” and “a lack of communication” for the offense’s failures.
“When I look at it,” Nabers said, “we tried to give me the ball a couple times in the first half.”
None of this should surprise the Giants, who grilled Nabers before the draft about scouting evaluations that he reacted “hard” to not being involved early in games. Nabers was honest and Daboll pushed for his draft selection.
“That’s just the competitor in me. That’s just how I’m wired. That’s just who I am,” Nabers said. “I just don’t like losing.If I feel like I had an opportunity to help the team win, I’m going to express that.”
OLB Azeez Ojulari (toe) was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next four games.
The Giants gambled by not trading Ojulari for a late-round draft pick at the Nov. 5 deadline despite his long injury history (16 career games missed) and pending free agency.
He had five sacks in a five-game span when his playing time increased as Kayvon Thibodeaux was sidelined, but this will be his third straight season sidelined.
TE Greg Dulcich was claimed off waivers from the Broncos and added to the 53-man roster, where he joins rookie Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz. Dulcich had 33 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie in 2022 but had fallen out of favor.
LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) and DL Armon Watts (shoulder) did not participate in Tuesday’s walk-through.
QB Tommy DeVito (right forearm) and RT Evan Neal (hip) were added to the injury report as limited.
CB Deonte Banks (rib), DT D.J. Davidson (shoulder), Johnson (back), LB Micah McFadden (thumb/heel) and S Tyler Nubin (back) remained limited.
DT Dexter Lawrence (knee) was upgraded to full participation.