One of the biggest questions heading into the New York Giants' 2026 opener against the Dallas Cowboys was the status of star wide receiver Malik Nabers.
He was active for the first time in a game in nearly 11 months after rehabbing from a torn ACL and meniscus that required several surgeries to correct. But how much would Nabers play, and what would happen when he took that first hit?
Head coach John Harbaugh decided to find out the latter before the game even started by tackling Nabers himself during a walkthrough.
Giants WR Malik Nabers tells me John Harbaugh tackled him during walk through 🤣 “Everybody was worried if I could tackle. Actually Coach Harbaugh tackled me…” Me: “He tackled you himself?” “Yeah, he wanted to see if I could take a tackle.”
Me: “Did you go down?” “Nah I… pic.twitter.com/acHfshAc6e
— Simone Eli (@SimoneEli_TV) September 14, 2026
"It just kind of evolved into an opportunity to tackle," Harbaugh told reporters on Monday in a lighthearted moment. "And I couldn't pass it up, I guess. But no, it was good. It was fun. It was all in fun. Got a lot of laughs. Some guys gave me a sideways look. Some of the players were like, 'What are you doing?' So, it was good."
Quarterback Jaxson Dart also recalled the hilarious scene.
"Yeah, we were all just chilling on the sideline. It was right before we were supposed to start our walkthrough, and things were just up in the air. We didn't know exactly what was going to happen," Dart said after Sunday's game. "And me and Coach Harbs kind of had some conversations. He's like, ‘You know what, like, I think that once he gets hit for the first time and realizes that he's okay, then he's going to feel confident.’
"So I think in his mind that triggered, ‘Oh, maybe I should tackle him right then and there.’ So, we're all just standing there, and then all of a sudden Leek goes down on the ground, and our team's super protective of him. So we all turned to look, and it's Coach Harbs tackling Leek, and then he pops up and he goes, 'See, you're all good.'"
Asked if it was the first time he did such a thing to a player in his career, you knew it wasn't.
"We may have to add it in," said Harbaugh. "I usually do tackle guys or imitate tackling guys because I really couldn't tackle them in real life, I'm sure. But I have done that before, so it wasn't a first."
Another new wrinkle John Harbaugh introduced. He never fails to surprise.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' John Harbaugh 'couldn't pass up' tackling WR Malik Nabers
