NFL Week 4 Injury: Malik Nabers ACL Tear

When a Star Receiver Goes Down: The Malik Nabers Injury, and What Physical Therapy Can Do 

On Sunday of Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season, the New York Giants and their fans were rocked by a serious injury to star wide receiver Malik Nabers. What appeared to be a routine—but high stakes—downfield jump turned into a season ending knee injury. As physical therapists, we often see the aftermath of these types of injuries, from acute diagnosis through rehab and return to play. Here’s a breakdown of how such an injury can unfold, how it’s managed, and what the path to recovery looks like. 

How the Injury Occurred 

During the second quarter against the Chargers, Nabers leapt to make a deep catch from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. As the pass fell incomplete, the play was negated by a defensive offside call, but Nabers’ body was already in motion. He landed awkwardly, clutching his right knee in pain, and was immediately carted off the field.  

Video and reports suggest the injury was noncontact in nature—i.e. the knee failed under load without a direct blow. Landing mechanics, pivoting forces, and the torque through a semiflexed knee are often implicated in such noncontact injuries. 

In the aftermath, an MRI confirmed that Nabers sustained a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. He was also reported to have a torn meniscus, and additional related injuries included a partially torn labrum in the shoulder and lingering turf toe issues. With those findings, the Giants ruled him out for the rest of the 2025 season.  

Diagnosis & Surgical Plan 

When Nabers was carted off, the team’s medical staff immediately suspected a significant knee injury; initial imaging (via MRI) confirmed a full ACL tear. The MRI also revealed a meniscal tear in addition to that.  

Given an ACL tear in a highlevel athlete, the standard of care is surgical reconstruction, particularly for someone whose position requires cutting, acceleration, and deceleration. Nabers’ plan included ACL reconstruction and concurrent meniscal repair or meniscectomy as needed.  

Thus, Nabers faced a multitissue surgical intervention, with the ACL as primary, the meniscus as a coinjury, and other injuries being managed conservatively. 

Treatment & Early Rehabilitation (0–3 Months) 

Phase 1: Protection & Controlled Loading 

Immediately after surgery (weeks 0–2), the priorities are: 

• Protect the graft (often with a knee brace and limited weightbearing as per surgeon protocol) 

• Control swelling and pain (cryotherapy, compression, elevation) 

• Maintain joint mobility—especially gentle passive motion and controlled flexion/extension within safe limits 

• Activate surrounding musculature (quadriceps sets, hamstring isometrics) 

• Core and contralateral limb strengthening 

In this phase, a physical therapist’s role is crucial: guiding safe progression, ensuring proper gait mechanics (with crutches or partial weightbearing), and preventing compensatory patterns. 

Phase 2: Progressive Strength & Neuromuscular Control (Weeks 3–8) 

As healing allows, use of closed kinetic chain exercises, gradual loading, and neuromuscular training starts: 

• Leg presses, partial squats, and minisquats (within range) 

• Hip strengthening, glute activation, core control 

• Proprioceptive and balance training (singleleg stance, balance boards) 

• Cardiovascular work on unweighted modalities (e.g. bike, elliptical, antigravity treadmill) 

• Gradual reintroduction of gait loading, stepping, and light agility drills 

Therapists must carefully monitor pain, swelling, and graft integrity to avoid overloading too early. 

Phase 3: Strengthening & Movement Reeducation (Weeks 8–12+) 

Once the graft is more mature (around 10–12 weeks), more aggressive strengthening and dynamic movements come in: 

• Full squats, lunges, stepdowns 

• Plyometrics in controlled fashion (begin with low level) 

• Lateral and multidirectional movement drills 

• Sport specific drills (progressively increasing load, direction changes) 

• Continued mobility, scar management, and soft tissue work 

Throughout, the focus is restoring symmetry, correcting compensatory gait deviations, and rebuilding confidence under load. 

Late-Stage Rehabilitation & Return to Sport (Months 3–9+) 

In months 4–6: 

• Increase plyometric intensity, add bounding, jumping, and landing drills 

• Progressive sprinting and cutting drills 

• Reactive agility drills with cognitive demands 

• Simulated sport tasks (routes, catching under stress) 

• Gradual return to full participation in practices, once cleared 

Between months 6–9 (depending on progress and surgeon approval), the focus becomes: 

• Full speed sport maneuvers 

• Fatigue management 

• Injury prevention programming (eccentric hamstring, glute med, trunk control) 

• Ongoing monitoring of limb symmetry index (strength, power, hop tests) 

Return to full competition typically occurs around month 9–12 for elite athletes after ACL reconstruction. It depends heavily on graft healing, strength recovery, neuromuscular control, absence of pain or swelling, psychological readiness, and sport demands. 

Prognosis & Considerations 

For a player like Malik Nabers, the prognosis is cautiously optimistic—if everything goes well, many NFL players return successfully after ACL reconstruction. However, there are a few important caveats: 

• Recovery timelines are variable; some return earlier, some later. 

• Reinjury risk or contralateral injury must be considered. 

• Other coinjuries (meniscus, cartilage) can complicate recovery and long-term joint health. 

• Psychological resilience is critical—trusting the knee again, overcoming fear of reinjury, and regaining explosiveness. 

• Given his additional injuries (turf toe, shoulder), a comprehensive rehab plan must address all affected regions. 

Reports suggest Nabers is expected to be ready by training camp 2026 if recovery proceeds well. Some commentators have even speculated he could return healthier than he has been preinjury.  

From a physical therapy perspective, Nabers’ injury highlights the importance of: 

1. Early, evidence based surgical and rehab protocols 

1. Careful progression with objective metrics (strength, hop tests, limb symmetry) 

1. Neuromuscular training and kinetic chain integration 

1. Psychological support and graded return-to-sport 

1. Injury prevention programs once back in play (eccentric hamstring, core, dynamic stability) 

Final Thoughts 

Malik Nabers’ injury is an unfortunate reminder of how fast things can change in professional sports—but also how structured rehabilitation and expert physical therapy can guide athletes back from severe injuries. For our clinic and for athletes everywhere, his journey will be closely watched: a case study in surgical repair, rigorous rehab, and the resilience required to return to elite performance. 

If you or someone you know is recovering from a knee or ligament injury, we’d be glad to talk about how we structure rehabilitation, load progression, and return to sport planning.