Giants top receiver Malik Nabers is expected to play in Sunday’s season opener at Washington despite sitting out Friday’s practice with back tightness.
But Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll look like they’re going to be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas (right foot), who is listed as doubtful to play against the Washington Commanders.
“My biggest concern is the risk of re-injury,” Thomas said Friday at his locker. “So that’s something I’ve been talking to the trainers and doctors about, just to make sure when I’m out there, I’m ready to go. And that’s why we’ve been increasing the volume [at practice] but slowly: to make sure I respond well to it, working on the pain management and figuring out what you can push through and what you can’t.”
Thomas, 26, was limited in practice on Wednesday and Friday of this week and sat out practice entirely on Thursday.
He took snaps in a team period on Friday for the first time since last October’s Lisfranc surgery on his foot. And while that represented progress, Thomas does not appear to have played enough football yet to test his foot prior to entering live game action.
The left tackle agreed that the minimal amount of reps he’s taken is a factor in how ready his body is to play.
“I think it matters,” Thomas said. “Missing training camp is not ideal, but I’ve been in this system for a few years. This will be my sixth year [in the NFL]. So I think once I get into the game, I’ll understand what to do. My body will kind of translate. But for sure I think missing those reps [does] hurt.”
Nabers at least will be “fine” to play in Sunday’s opener, Daboll said, despite an unexpected absence from Friday’s practice. The receiver’s health is worth monitoring, however, given that he missed a ton of time this spring with a toe injury and then sat out some of training camp due to his back.
Thomas has taken this rehabilitation process into his own hands and has been extra cautious this offseason.
The Giants have rushed Thomas back to the field before and learned their lesson the hard way. He played in only 10 games in 2023 due to an early season hamstring injury that he aggravated by returning to practice too early. That was on top of left ankle issues that required two surgeries one year apart early in his career.
His absence has crippled the Giants’ already challenged offense in the past.
Thomas has played in 16 of a possible 34 games the past two seasons since signing a five-year, $117.5 million contract extension with the team in July 2023. And the Giants have a 6-10 (.375) record with him and a 3-15 (.166) mark without him during that span.
Thomas did say “we’ll see” about his status for Sunday’s game. And he expressed optimism about feeling less physical pain and soreness in his foot after practices lately.
“That’s the thing that’s pretty different from a few weeks back or a few months back,” he said. “When I would have a nice day, I would be sore for a few days after. And the past few weeks after a nice day, I’m responding a little bit better.”
And yet it appears the Giants are going to need free agent signing James Hudson III to stand tall in Thomas’ place, going up against a group of Washington defensive ends led by Von Miller and Dorance Armstrong.
