Odell Beckham Jr. had his moment waiting in the back of the end zone. He just didn’t finish it.
In the Giants’ 26-3 preseason win over the Dolphins on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, Beckham got behind Miami cornerback Miles Battle and had a real shot to put himself right in the middle of New York’s crowded wide receiver battle. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston put the ball up on a third-and-2 late in the second quarter, Beckham went airborne at the back line, and the pass slipped through his hands. The Giants settled for a field goal, and Beckham went down to his knees in obvious frustration.
He didn’t try to smooth it over afterward. According to the New York Post, Beckham said, “I’m pissed,” he said.
“This is the one that keeps me up at night. It’s a play I know I can make.
I just felt like I was hanging so long. You take it on the chin like a man.
The confidence is still there. I know I’ll make that play the next time.”
He added: “I don’t care if it was higher, lower, wherever it was at, that’s on me. I feel like if the ball is anywhere near me, if it touches my fingertips, I’m supposed to catch it.”
Head coach John Harbaugh, who coached Beckham with the Ravens in 2023 and has remained positive about him through this Giants reunion, saw the play as a tougher one than the result suggested. Per the same New York Post report by Paul Schwartz, Harbaugh said: “He was in the air a long time.
He got up - way up. I know he would say, ‘I wake up at 4 in the morning and I’m making that play.’
He knows he can make that play, and it’s a really tough play to make.”
Harbaugh continued: “Making it would have just been spectacular. I looked at that play as a positive in his favor.
I thought it was impressive where he was at, going to get the ball. I think he’s capable of still making that play.”
Beckham still logged some useful work. NBC Sports reported that he finished with two catches for 17 yards on four targets in 33 snaps.
One of those grabs turned into a 12-yard gain after a sharp cut with the ball in his hands. In the preseason opener against the Vikings, he had two catches for six yards on 16 snaps.
The bigger picture in New York hasn’t changed. The Giants’ receiver group is crowded, with Malik Nabers still ramping up from injury and Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, rookie Malachi Fields and others all in the mix for snaps. Beckham, who is 33 and missed the 2025 season, is trying to win one of the final roster spots, and he does not help on special teams.
There’s one more preseason game left, Friday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, and the roster deadline hits Sunday, Aug. 30.
Harbaugh has made it clear that production and fit will drive the decisions, not sentiment. Beckham’s athleticism still shows up at times, but the missed touchdown was a reminder of how little room there is for error.
One catch in the end zone would have changed the conversation. Now he gets one last shot to do it.
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