Odell Beckham Jr. is set to put on Giants blue again, and the first real test of this comeback comes Saturday when New York hosts the Minnesota Vikings at 1:00 p.m. It will be Beckham’s first time back in Giants blue since 2018, and the first of three preseason chances for players trying to lock down a place on the 53-man roster.
There’s no mystery about whether Beckham will play. On Wednesday, head coach John Harbaugh said the 33-year-old receiver will be on the field against Minnesota. That means the reunion that started as offseason buzz now gets an actual game setting, with all the attention that comes with it.
This isn’t just a sentimental return. Beckham’s path back has a different feel this time, shaped by a year away from the game in 2025 that he said helped him heal “spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically”. The talent is still the headline, but the version of Beckham arriving back in East Rutherford is older, calmer and carrying more perspective than the player who left after being traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019.
The comeback itself took some winding turns before becoming real. What began as casual offseason chatter gained traction once Harbaugh entered the picture, given their shared history in Baltimore. One spring workout was enough to turn the possibility into something concrete, and Beckham was officially back.
Now the fun part ends and the roster fight begins. Beckham is listed on the third string of the initial depth chart, and he’s in a crowded competition with Jalin Hyatt, Braxton Berrios, Dalen Cambre and JuJu Smith-Schuster, among others.
With no special teams role to lean on, he doesn’t have much room to waste chances. Saturday gives him his first true measuring stick.
Who throws him the ball is still up in the air. When asked whether Jaxson Dart would play, Harbaugh sidestepped the question and laughed, saying, “That’s a good question I’m gonna have to dodge.”
If Dart is held out, Jameis Winston would likely handle the snaps. Winston is already leaning into the moment, telling reporters he can’t wait to hear the crowd erupt when Beckham runs out of the tunnel.
For all the depth chart drama and preseason math, the bigger picture is simple: Beckham jogging back through the MetLife tunnel is the kind of scene Giants fans have been waiting years to see. Saturday won’t decide everything, but it could tell the story of whether this comeback has real staying power.
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John Harbaugh acknowledged both kickers for the way they handled the moment, which only adds to the intrigue around a competition that was already trending toward the unexpected. With other players making their cases and a few injury situations still being monitored, the kicking picture is one of the more closely watched items before the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]