The New York Giants’ offense has been devoid of explosive plays in recent seasons. They had hoped that upgrading at quarterback by signing Russell Wilson would solve that problem.
Through two games this season, Wilson has improved the Giants’ deep-passing attack significantly, turning back the clock and demonstrating why his patented “moonballs” have earned him his reputation as one of the best deep passers in NFL history.
Malik Nabers has been the biggest beneficiary so far. Nabers was an elite deep threat at LSU in 2023, but that aspect of his game was largely underutilized in his rookie 2024 campaign.
But in 2025, Wilson has helped unlock Nabers’ deep receiving ability once again.
Russell Wilson has helped unlock Malik Nabers as a deep threat
Malik Nabers’ deep receiving statistics (targets 20+ yards downfield):
2023 (NCAA): 29 targets | 19 receptions | 624 yards | 9 touchdowns (13 games played)
2024: 29 targets | 7 receptions | 216 yards | 2 touchdowns (15 games played)
2025: 7 targets | 3 receptions | 105 yards | 2 touchdowns (2 games played)
The Giants’ quarterbacks in 2024 failed to maximize Nabers as a deep receiving weapon. But Wilson, a historically elite deep passer, has been maximizing him so far this season.
It hasn’t translated to wins yet, as the Giants suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Week 2 to fall to 0-2. But the offense had legs on Sunday, giving the team hope that they can still turn things around.