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Concussion will keep Giants WR Malik Nabers out of Bengals game
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Concussion will keep Giants WR Malik Nabers out of Bengals game

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers will not play Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a concussion, coach Brian Daboll said.

Nabers will miss his second game in a row. He also did not play in Sunday’s 29-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

“He’ll do things off the field, more like he did the last two days,” Daboll said. “He won’t make it (before Sunday).”

The No. 6 pick in this year’s draft remains in the concussion protocol and did not practice this week.

Daboll does not want to say whether Nabers is still experiencing complaints.

“I’ll leave that to my own control,” he said. “But if he makes progress, he’ll do a little bit more than he did (Thursday), similar to probably the day before. Take it day by day.”

Darius Slayton will move into the No. 1 receiver spot for the second consecutive game. He had eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in Seattle.

The Giants (2-3) could also be without running back Devin Singletary for the second straight week. He was limited in practice this week and Daboll seemed unsure where he stood before Friday’s practice.

Rookie Tyrone Tracy (129 rushing yards) filled in admirably in Seattle.

Nabers seemed to have a chance to return earlier this week. On Wednesday he went for a run with a trainer. But he did very little during the open portion of practice Thursday, when Daboll said he remained in the “same place” in the protocol.

He probably had to train to be ready for Sunday evening.

“I would say he has a pretty good concussion,” Daboll said. “I’m not going to go into concussion protocol or anything like that. It’s a serious matter.’

The young playmaker did more on Friday. He ran sprints and even caught a few steps during the open portion of the workout.

Yet he ran out of time. A player must complete “club-based non-contact training exercises” and be cleared by a team physiotherapist before an independent neurologist can release him from the league-mandated concussion protocol.

The goal now will be to bring him back when the Giants host former running back Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles next week.

Nabers didn’t seem to get that close this week, and his presence at a Travis Scott concert Wednesday at MetLife Stadium raised some questions on social media.

Daboll would not say whether he had any problems with his Star Wide Receiver attending the concert while he was still in protocol.

“I’ll keep that all in-house,” he said.

Daboll did say that Nabers did not violate any team rules.

The injury occurred when Nabers tried to make a catch on the sideline late in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. His face hit the ground as he tried to control his stride and get his feet in bounds. The Giants’ medical staff immediately attended to him while he was on the team’s sideline.

Nabers did not return to the match. Afterwards, outside linebacker Brian Burns shouted across the locker room at the rookie, asking if he was OK.

“No,” Nabers replied.

The issue has delayed a historic start to the season. Nabers became the first player in NFL history to record at least 25 receptions and three touchdowns in his first four games.

The LSU product has 35 catches for 386 yards and three touchdowns this season.