NEW YORK — Malik Nabers was not acting like himself in the Giants’ locker room after practice on Thursday.

Some defensive players asked Nabers if he was OK as he walked past their stalls. Nabers put a towel over his head and barely answered, limping past them into the showers.

Now it’s clear why: Nabers was listed as limited with a knee injury when the Giants’ official injury report came out closer to 4 p.m.

Sources told the New York Daily News hours later that Nabers, the Giants’ No. 6 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, is “OK.” The sources said Nabers experienced some “tightness” and “soreness” in his leg. But one source said Nabers is “100 percent,” and another said there is “not much concern.”

Nabers does not require a scan to double check the injury’s severity, either, one source said, which seems to be a good sign.

Obviously, Nabers’ presence on the injury report indicates he wasn’t feeling 100% on Thursday. But it’s reasonable to conclude that this means Nabers is still on track to play Sunday when the Giants (0-1) visit the Washington Commanders (0-1), barring a change.

That would be a relief, because this is a must-win for Brian Daboll’s team, and the Giants are counting on Nabers to lift their offense out of a six-point, Week 1 funk.

It would also be extremely disappointing for Nabers if he didn’t get to play against his LSU quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who will be leading the Commanders’ offense in Washington’s home opener.

“Without him, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Nabers, 21, said of Daniels’ impact on his career. “Having that guy as my quarterback, it took a lot of stress off me. I took a lot of stress off him, too, getting open.”

Nabers sprained his left ankle in mid-August during training camp, but the injury turned out to be less severe than it initially appeared, and Nabers played against the Houston Texans in a preseason game six days later.

On Thursday, the wide receiver was subdued and somber, but he still regrouped to do an on-camera interview. The injury report did not come out until after the locker room had closed to media.

The Daily News asked Nabers how practice had gone.

“I mean, it was great,” he said. “Got to move around a lot. It was a good day of practice.”

The News asked several players if something had happened to Nabers. They all answered: “I don’t know.”

Separate from Nabers’ situation, the Giants’ locker room feels tense. It’s understandable.

The team got booed out of their home stadium during last weekend’s 28-6 home-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and everyone is on the hot seat if their play doesn’t improve, from GM Joe Schoen to Daboll to quarterback Daniel Jones.

Nabers had five catches for 66 yards in his NFL debut, but he didn’t see his first target until 1:45 remained in the first quarter.

The Giants need to get him involved early and often to have success on Sunday. If Thursday’s knee injury truly was just soreness and tightness, that’s a good start.

A coach joins the injured list

Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen had surgery Thursday morning after breaking his leg on a sideline collision with Vikings backup running back Ty Chandler last Sunday.

“We’ll probably move somebody down from the box to help with that group throughout the game with rotation, with everything else that comes into play,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “Obviously, I’ll be involved a little bit more over there. It’s a tough deal.”

That’s an interesting development considering how quiet outside linebackers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux were in the Giants’ season opener with defensive line coach Andre Patterson and Bullen coaching the group.

Now, the dynamic for Week 2 will change.

Slayton makes progress in protocol

Wide receiver Darius Slayton took his next step in the concussion protocol Thursday by practicing in a limited fashion in a red non-contact jersey. So there is a chance he could be available for Sunday’s game in Washington. He will have to progress to a heavier workload on Friday, have no setbacks and then pass the required tests.

Rookie inside linebacker Darius Muasau (knee) and corner Nick McCloud (knee) continued to sit out practice and only did work on the side with trainers. So they appear unlikely to play.

Returner Gunner Olszewski (groin) did not practice and was nowhere to be seen. He will be out long-term. Inside linebacker Micah McFadden (full) is on track to make his season debut.

The Commanders, meanwhile, lost corner Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (thumb), who is reportedly undergoing surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL.

Defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (foot/rest) was limited. And four players were full participants: running back Brian Robinson Jr. (knee), safety Tyler Owens (ankle) and tackles Brandon Coleman (shoulder) and Trent Scott (knee).

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