Giants' Hyatt Ready To Replace Nabers

One out of every six plays the New York Giants have run this season have resulted in a Malik Nabers target.

On Sunday, none of them will.

The rookie receiver will miss the Week 5 contest against the Seattle Seahawks , thrusting a mediocre offense into further uncertainty.

In his place will likely be second-year receiver Jalin Hyatt, who has struggled to break out with Darius Slayton playing an overlapping role. With the Giants in need of explosive plays, Hyatt’s skill set will be in demand in Seattle.

“Like I said, I'm a competitor, I want to be out there and be able to play and obviously, I didn't have a lot of chances this season,” Hyatt said . “But like I said, it's a long season, things happen, injuries happen, and I got to be ready, I got to be ready whenever my number's called. And if it is called this week, I'll be ready.”

Despite Slayton dealing with minor injuries throughout September, Hyatt hadn’t been able to crack the lineup very often. After a 373-yard rookie season, Hyatt has logged just three targets in 2024. He is yet to catch a pass.

However, Hyatt won’t need to replace Slayton on Sunday. He’ll be joining him, likely with Slayton taking on more of Nabers ’ responsibilities and Hyatt getting the chance to run far more routes than he has so far this season.

“You just got to be ready whenever it is,” Hyatt said. “This is a long, long season. And like you said, injuries happen and it's all about taking advantage of the opportunities. We're going to go out and play Seattle, and we're going to be ready. And for us, we just got to stay focused, got to stay in rhythm on offense, and we do that, and we have a good chance.”

Related: How Far Along Concussion Protocol Is Nabers?

Needless to say, a 38-percent target share is hard to replace on any given Sunday, and a strong Seattle team won’t make that any easier.

Hyatt is hoping to make a permanent dent in the distribution of targets.

“Yeah, I've been in his ear,” he joked. “I know he's right here, he's my locker mate. So, every time I see him, I'll say something to him.”