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TDs, Takeaways and Top Plays

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Top plays & takeaways from Monday's action

JAXSON-DART-TICKETMASTER

The Giants returned to the practice field on Monday following their preseason opener over the weekend. They are gearing up for their next preseason outing against the Dolphins in Miami, where they will also hold a joint practice on Thursday.

Here is everything you need to know from the day:

Play of the day

Practice ended with a two-minute drill for the first and second units. The offense was given the ball at the defense's 35-yard line with 1:18 on the clock and needing seven points to tie. Jaxson Dart rattled off three consecutive completions – two to tight end Isaiah Likely and another to rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields – to bring the offense to the 10 before outside linebacker Brian Burns got a pressure and forced an incompletion. On the next play, Kayvon Thibodeaux tipped a pass in the air that Abdul Carter corralled and took the other way for a long touchdown return.

Hello, Washington

Then it was time for the second team. On the very first play, safety Ar'Darius Washington had a walk-off interception to end practice. It was a positive for the defense, according to the Giants' glass-half-full head coach.

"I thought the defense had two great drives, right?" coach John Harbaugh said after practice. "That's how I'm going to look at it. The offense had a lot of good plays, but then, I mean, they were moving right down the field into the score zone there with four successful plays in a row, I think, maybe four or five. And then, Abdul and those guys batted a ball and it dropped right in their hands. I mean, that can happen. That's how games are won. That's how plays are made.

"We talk about it all the time, plays are made in the fourth quarter. So, we're trying to drill on that. Now, if we're practicing against each other, I can't get too upset with our team if our defense makes a play to win the game. I can be bummed about the offense, but I'm going to have to be happy about the defense at the same time. You can't – both sides can't win the period."

View practice photos from training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

News of the day

Last Thursday, wide receiver Malik Nabers participated in team drills for the first time this year. He made it two in a row on Monday and took it a step further with a handful of catches during competitive periods, including a leaping grab.

"I'm feeling good," he said after practice. "Caught a couple. After that, went and ran some more routes with the training staff … to keep my legs running, keep the same thing moving forward to getting more team reps."

Nabers opened up about the rehab process, which began with a season-ending knee injury last September.

"My soul has been dead for so long, just being away and knowing what I could accomplish, knowing where I was before this happened," said Nabers, who set the franchise's single-season reception record as a rookie. "But every tear, every talk with the family, every down day, every day that I didn't complete something, it just kept that in the back of my head and continued. Even when flexion wasn't going well, my leg wasn't feeling the best, just continue to just praise God, knowing that everything was going to be all right. Continue to listen to the trainers. Every day is not going to be the best day possible. I'm not going to feel better in one day. Just continue to take it step by step, day by day and the finished product was just all those days and all those days that I felt good. I continue to push more. So, I'm just thankful for where I'm at. Thankful for all the people that have been in my corner through this and that's really all."

Nabers spent much of the offseason rehabbing alongside running back Cam Skattebo, who had a five-yard carry on the Giants' first offensive snap of Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings. It was his first game action since suffering a gruesome ankle injury on Oct. 26, 2025.

"I think with an injury of any sort, anybody in the league, you fall into a little darker space in your mind and just having your guys around you helping you with that is huge for me and him," Skattebo said. "I was able to have him, and as I got more and more healthy and he was still kind of going through the hard stage, I was able to help him get out of that, and we were kind of able to work off each other. Malik looks great. He's coming back, and I'm excited to see him continue to push to be better and better each day and watch him play football again."

Best of the rest

Skattebo had a short rushing touchdown during a goal-line period.

Jameis Winston threw a short touchdown pass to running back Damon Bankston.

Dart connected with tight end Theo Johnson on the right side of the end zone for a touchdown.

Safety Raheem Layne would had a would-be sack. Defensive lineman Darius Alexander was also in the area to split it. On a similar play shortly after, defensive lineman Chauncey Golston and cornerback Dru Phillips split a sack. Outside linebacker Khalid Kareem had a few pressures.

Burns and defensive lineman Zacch Pickens each batted a pass.

Giants sign QB Jake Haener, LB Chandler Martin; RB Dante Miller waived/injured

The Giants today signed quarterback Jake Haener and linebacker Chandler Martin. In a corresponding move, they waived/injured running back Dante Miller.

Originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Saints in 2023, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Haener has appeared in eight NFL games and made one start in Week 15 of the 2024 season.

He signed with the Chiefs this past February and was released three months later.

Haener's career numbers include 18 completions on 39 attempts for 226 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He also has 11 rushing attempts for 22 yards.

Prior to the NFL, Haener played two seasons at the University of Washington and spent the remainder of his college career at Fresno State, where he set the school record for career completion percentage (68.1). Haener was named MVP of the 2023 Senior Bowl.

He was a captain in all three seasons with the Bulldogs and won 21 of his 29 starts. A two-time All-Mountain West selection, Haener ranks in the top five for every major passing statistic in program history.

His passing yards in 2021 marked just the fourth time a Fresno State player surpassed 4,000 yards, joining former Giants quarterback David Carr and his brother Derek as the only Bulldogs to do so.

Martin, meanwhile, started his NFL career with John Harbaugh's Ravens last year as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis. He appeared in three games while spending time on and off the team's practice squad.

Miller has been with the Giants since 2024, appearing in two games as a rookie. Miller had five carries for 14 yards and returned three kickoffs for 69 yards (long of 25 yards) in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings before he suffered an injury.

The Giants had another opening on the roster after defensive back Sam Webb was placed on the reserve/retired list less than a week after signing with the team.

View every move made by the New York Giants during the 2026 cycle.

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The Giants Foundation 5K & Kids Run

Bring your friends, family and neighbors out to run The Giants Foundation 5K Presented by Quest® on Sunday, November 8th and finish in the end zone at MetLife Stadium!

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