The Giants’ triplets have yet to be born.
Not in the football sense, anyway.
Any dreams the Giants have of building a Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison connection between Jaxson Dart and Malik Nabers — or a Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin trio with Dart, Cam Skattebo and Nabers — are on hold again until at least 2027. By then, Nabers could be one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL on his second contract.
“It sucks,” Skattebo said. “But the bright side is we have a long future ahead of us and — with Malik being in Year 3, I’m in Year 2, Jaxson in Year 2. We have a lot of football ahead of us.”
Since Dart was drafted, the Giants have run 1,277 offensive plays. Dart and Nabers have shared the field for just 74, and the triplets of Dart, Nabers and Skattebo have played just 43 together.
Dart didn’t start the first three games of his rookie season, Nabers suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in Week 4, and Skattebo suffered a season-ending open tibia fracture in Week 8.
Now, Nabers and Skattebo back, but Dart is done for the season. The chemistry-building disruptions keep coming.
“Takes a breath out of you, for sure,” Nabers said. “Just trying to be there for him like he was there for me. It’s sad to say: You can’t predict injuries. So, it’s a shame that it happens, but you go through it.”
The only silver lining for now is that the X-ray on Nabers’ shoulder — injured Monday night against the Rams when he crashed to the turf trying to make a catch and was held to one catch for one yard – returned “good results.”
“Feeling good. I’ll be fine,” Nabers said. “We’re smiling. I’m out there playing, catching the ball.”
Except Nabers is catching passes from Jameis Winston. And stuck on zero (of his nine career) touchdown catches from Dart, who has thrown zero of his 18 career touchdown passes to Nabers.
“It’s time and preparation for everything,” Nabers said. “I haven’t shared the field with him that much, even in practice. Going through a whole spring camp with him, that builds chemistry. So, it’s just sad that one of your brothers goes down. I know how much he wanted to accomplish, he knows how much I wanted to accomplish and just to see it put on pause, I feel for him.”
Head coach John Harbaugh left the door open for Dart to make a timetable-pushing comeback if the Giants reach the playoffs. For that to happen, Nabers and Skattebo have to pick up Dart’s slack.
“He’s already probably thinking about coming back as fast as possible,” Skattebo said.
Nabers already has played with seven different quarterbacks since he was drafted in 2024. But Winston is a unique gunslinger known for throwing into tight windows and giving his receivers shots to win downfield 50/50 balls without fear of interceptions.
“He believes in his receivers to go make plays for him,” Nabers said. “And we plan to do that. The fact that he gives us opportunity means he believes in the good work you put in, in practice.”
And in the classroom.
The Giants receivers and tight ends looked confused on multiple pre-snap alignments against the Rams, including the play that left Dart with a damaged PCL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee.
“We just have to do a better job of just studying, myself included,” Nabers said. “Putting in extra time, putting in extra work … writing the plays up, seeing how you can understand the plays in your own way.”
Nabers is cluing in to how the Winston’s ball placement, spin and release point.
“It’s a work in progress,” Nabers said, “to just sudden change.”
