The much-anticipated matchup between Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers and Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner did not happen during the joint practice between the two New York teams on Wednesday.
Aside from an incomplete pass from Daniel Jones to Nabers in an early 7-on-7 drill, the two players did not face off in any long passes during the two-hour practice at the Jets’ facility.
The Giants and Jets will play each other on Saturday night in their final preseason game before coaches must trim their rosters to 53 players by Tuesday.
Nabers, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, caught several passes during practice, mostly short throws of 10 to 15 yards. He has been impressive against the Giants’ defensive backs throughout camp, frequently making deep catches.
Giants coach Brian Daboll did not have Jones and Nabers go deep against Gardner, who is known for being one of the top cornerbacks in the league.
“That’s a question for Dabs,” Nabers said when asked about the missed matchup.
Nabers did get a chance to go deep in the final 11-on-11 two-minute drill. Jones threw a long pass down the left sideline after Nabers got past cornerback D.J. Reed. Nabers managed to get his hands on the ball but dropped it after spinning to make the catch.
“Yeah, it bothered me pretty bad,” Nabers said about the drop. “If I had to do it again, I would work on catching the ball differently. I’ll review it, see what I can improve, and practice that. I need to work on getting my eyes around faster and tracking the ball better.”
Nabers explained that he lost sight of the ball when he spun and did not track it quickly enough to make the catch.
