Beckham makes most of opportunity with first-team offense
When Odell Beckham Jr. warmed up last Friday, fans were yelling and cheering him like he was the Odell of old. But outside of a toe-tap touchdown catch later that day, Beckham has been mostly quiet with practice production.
That changed Tuesday. With Juju Smith-Schuster held out of practice for knee soreness and Darius Slayton held out of team periods for maintenance, Beckham got more first-team reps. Coach John Harbaugh said it just probably worked out for Beckham to get reps without saying if it was based on performance or merit.
Still, Beckham made a few plays showing he could contribute with the first-team offense.
"I think he's doing a good job," Harbaugh told reporters. "He's playing well. Everybody's working hard and so is he."
There's still questions if Beckham can make the team. Malik Nabers and Slayton are guarantees. Free agent signees Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III are as well. Rookie Malachi Fields has been impressive. That leaves Beckham, Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios leading a group that has to fight behind them.
Beckham isn't just exciting fans. He's got teammates in awe who grew up watching him when he was one of the NFL's best young receivers a decade ago.
"I literally just missed Odell on the front end," said Slayton, who was drafted by the Giants in 2019 a month after they traded Beckham to the Browns. "He almost felt like a fake unicorn mythical creature that departed before I came. And then here he is back on the team with me"
Nabers called it "surreal" that Beckham is his teammate. He called his fellow LSU product a great role model and leader that's also helped him deal with rehabbing after his ACL/meniscus surgeries.
"It's good having him around. He's always lifting me up," Nabers said last Thursday. "He'll always continue to call me, ask me how I feel, send me text messages, just motivation."
Jaxson Dart said similar things about Beckham being a mentor who's pouring into his teammates. It's one way Beckham's presence in camp has been a positive influence.
Until Tuesday, that influence was limited on the field. He made the most of his opportunity but now he's back to proving it wasn't just a cameo with Slayton and Smith-Schuster being limited.
"I think every time we line up against him, he looks good," cornerback Paulson Adebo told reporters Tuesday. "I grew up watching him as a youngin, so it's definitely cool to be able to go up against him. But yeah, he definitely looks like he looks ready."
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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