NFL Insider Tom Pelissero: When the Giants Can Expect Skattebo & Nabers Back

The Giants are constructed to be a sleeper team in the NFC. Chris's burning question for Tom Pelissero was whether they will actually have their two most explosive offensive weapons ready when the season starts.

The first name was Malik Nabers. Reports broke last week that Nabers had a second surgery on the knee. Pelissero clarified the timeline.

"Nabers's second procedure was actually over a month ago," Pelissero said. "It was reported last week. My understanding, so his initial injury was a torn ACL and a meniscus tear. In his case, it was like scar tissue build-up. They had to clean that out because it was preventing him from having full range of motion."

The math is roughly five months between the cleanout procedure and the start of the regular season. That puts Week 1 in play as a real target, though not a guarantee. Pelissero was careful not to wave it off.

"You never want to hear about your young star receiver," he said. "But 5 months off from the season, you would think week one is probably still a realistic goal."

Pelissero added an evaluative aside that matters. When Nabers has actually been on the field, the production per opportunity has put him ahead of his fellow vaunted-class members Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze. He already has some real chemistry built with Jackson Dart. The missing piece is consistent time on task, which the second procedure delays further.

The Cam Skattebo question came next, and the answer involved a sentence Pelissero said with conviction.

"Cam Skattebo, if he was told you can play with that cast on, would be on the field."

The rookie running back made public appearances during his rehab that suggested he had not internalized the word recovery. He was photographed at a WWE event in a knee scooter looking like he was about to engage members of the Judgment Day in physical altercation.

TJ took a moment to specify which Judgment Day members.

"That was Dirty Dominik Mysterio, my boy, and the Judgment Day," TJ said. "But am I crazy that he was physically engaged while on a Rascal? He was ready to throw down with Finn Bálor and Dirty Dominik."

The bigger Pelissero point was that John Harbaugh comes from the Baltimore school of player health management. The Ravens, throughout Harbaugh's tenure there, were known for not putting players back on the field until they were genuinely cleared. The Giants' medical team will have the deciding voice.

"There's also something to be said for don't push him out there at less than 100% given his violent playing nature," Pelissero said. "The last thing you want to do is have him suffer some type of a setback that, after his first season ended in rather graphic fashion, leads to his second season getting derailed."

Skattebo will not be making that call himself. Nabers may or may not be ready. The Giants's surprise-team ceiling is contingent on both.

Pelissero is not yet hitting the panic button on either.