Odell Beckham Jr. is back in a Giants uniform, and the number on his chest is bringing the memories with it.
Beckham will wear No. 13 again in New York, the same number he carried through his first five seasons with the Giants. On the surface, it’s a roster detail. For Giants fans, it lands a lot harder than that.
He returns to the active roster at 33, which makes the reunion feel less like a throwback and more like a new chance to see whether there’s still something left in the tank. Beckham’s first run with the Giants stretched from 2014 through 2018, when he played 59 games and piled up 390 catches, 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns. That production leaves him second in franchise history in receiving yards and fourth in catches and touchdown receptions.
The jersey alone doesn’t change what comes next. It just puts the old standard back in view.
Beckham is six receptions away from moving into third place on the Giants’ all-time list, and five touchdown catches shy of second. The milestones are there, but so is the real work. The Giants kept him on their initial 53-man roster because they believe he can still help now, and the number on the back won’t matter much if he can’t win routes, finish plays and stay available over the course of a season.
There’s no need to chase 2016 all over again. That version of Beckham doesn’t have to be the measuring stick. What the Giants need now is simpler: enough from No. 13 to give the offense some current moments, especially when defenses start paying more attention to the younger options around him.
So yes, the number matters. It brings the story full circle. But the real test is still ahead, and it begins on Sundays.
In Other News...
Giants Turn To Familiar Ravens Pipeline As Linebacker Need Grows
The Giants added a familiar face to their linebacker room by signing veteran Malik Harrison to the practice squad, a move that gives them another experienced option as they look to stabilize the position. Harrison arrives with five seasons of familiarity from his time under John Harbaugh in Baltimore, then spent a year with the Steelers before landing in New York, giving the Giants a veteran who knows the league and the kind of system demands that come with it.
New York will need to clear space on its 17-player practice squad to make the addition official, but Harrison is expected to be in the mix quickly. For a defense that can always use more depth in the middle of the field, the appeal is obvious, and the Giants are leaning once again on a Ravens-connected pipeline to patch a need before it becomes a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Still Have One Unsettled Roster Issue Before Week 1
The Giants have spent the late stages of the summer still surveying the market for help along the defensive front, with general manager Joe Schoen making it clear he wants to upgrade at defensive tackle. New York has also brought in several defensive linemen for workouts, a sign the team is keeping the door open to adding depth before Week 1.
Practice-squad options are already in place, but the search has not produced a confirmed trade or signing yet, leaving one roster spot on the interior line very much unsettled. For a team trying to get the defense ready for opening weekend, it is the kind of lingering issue that can still shape how the first few games look once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have One Linebacker Decision Still Hanging Over Roster Cuts
The Giants trimmed their linebacker room as part of roster cuts, and most of the names that hit the wire have already landed somewhere else, either on active rosters or practice squads. One holdover remains in a more uncertain spot: Anfernee Orji, the late-July addition who arrived with some NFL experience from the Saints and Titans and was still working back after a torn ACL.
Orjis situation is a reminder that roster cutdowns are rarely the end of the story in late August, especially for players trying to re-establish themselves after injury. NFL rosters are still shifting, which leaves open the possibility that his next stop could come soon, but for now he is the lone Giants linebacker from that group still waiting for a new opportunity. [Read more 🡒]