Odell Beckham reunion on tap when Giants hold joint practices with Browns
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns watches practice during the second day of Cleveland Browns Training Camp on July 29, 2021 in Berea, Ohio. Credit: Getty Images/Nick Cammett
The Giants will be holding joint practices with the Browns ahead of the two teams’ preseason game Sunday, meaning a days-long reunion with Odell Beckham Jr.
"He’s just excited to see us and see his boys," Sterling Shepard said. "That’s pretty much all we’ve been talking about."
Shepard said he and Saquon Barkley worked out with Beckham in Arizona in the offseason, and added he likes the extra wrinkle joint practices provide.
"It just gives you different looks," he said. "You get tired of seeing the same guys every day and it helps you with having to mix things up. But just to get a different look and different guys' skill sets around the league is going to help you get better ultimately, too."
Meanwhile, owner John Mara said that he’s still pleased more than two years removed from the trade, which brought Jabrill Peppers to the Giants, along with the two draft picks they used for Oshane Ximines and Dexter Lawrence.
"I think it's a trade that will work out well for both sides," he said. "Obviously, the players that we added have been big contributors for us. I expect Odell to have a great season. I still have a great relationship with him, I've texted with him. I'm looking forward to seeing him next week."
Barkley update
Joe Judge still would not reveal a timeline for Barkley’s return from the knee injury that cost him most of 2020 but said he’s happy with his running back’s progress.
"We’re going to go ahead and keep progressing him, do a few more things," Judge said. "You’ll see him out here today doing a little more than he did last week. At this point, until the doctors give me the green light, I’m not going to throw him into any live contact drills or anything of that nature. We want to be careful as we go through it, but we just have to keep on pushing his body. When the doctors say that he can go further, we’ll keep pushing him further and further."
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
