Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t take long to remind Giants fans what it looked like when he was at his peak.
Back in New York for training camp, Beckham has already started stacking up eye-catching catches, and the best one came Saturday. Dan Duggan described it this way: "We finally got an Odell highlight. He had a vintage toe-tapping catch in the back of the end zone from Jameis Winston."
It’s the kind of play that instantly pulls people back to the Giants version of Beckham who seemed to make impossible grabs every week. A decade ago, he was moving through his third season with the team and looking like a future franchise legend, with a path that appeared headed for the Hall of Fame.
Injuries changed that arc, and after leaving New York he bounced around the league until settling into veteran backup territory. So this reunion with the Giants was always more about nostalgia than a real reset.
Still, Beckham has shown in camp that there’s something left in the tank. He’s been putting together a string of solid practices and giving his quarterbacks a dependable target. That matters in a wide receiver room that’s crowded and short on clear answers.
Beckham is competing with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalin Hyatt, Isaiah Hodgins, and Braxton Berrios for what could be only one available spot on the final 53-man roster, and so far he looks like the favorite in that battle.
He may not be the No. 1 receiver he once was in New York, and if Malik Nabers is fully healthy by Week 1, Beckham probably won’t be asked to carry much of the load. But the Giants still have reasons to value him. He can help younger players like Nabers and rookie Malachi Fields, and he can raise the baseline of the passing game just by being reliable.
The Giants don’t need Beckham to be a star. If he can handle around 20 targets this season and keep turning them into positive plays, that would already be a useful lift for New York.
For now, the 33-year-old has mostly been working with the second-string group. Even so, every time he makes a play like that Saturday catch, it gives the Giants - and their fans - a quick flash of the old days.
In Other News...
Jalin Hyatt Suddenly Has One Clear Path Out Of New York
Jalin Hyatts summer with the Giants has turned into one of those training camp stretches where every rep feels like it carries extra weight. The young receiver is fighting to hold his roster spot, and with the competition tightening, it is at least worth wondering whether New York still has room for him when the numbers get trimmed.
If Hyatt does wind up on the move, there should be interest waiting. The Panthers and 49ers are both potential landing spots, but Carolina stands out as the more natural fit because Hyatts game is built on stretching the field as a vertical outside receiver. The Giants may not be the only team watching that situation closely, because an opening in Carolina could give him a clearer path to meaningful snaps than he currently has in New York. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have An Early Slot Decision That Could Change Their Offense
Training camp has already put the Giants in the middle of an early receiver evaluation, with WanDale Robinson gone and a spot in the slot suddenly open. The team is sorting through how to replace that inside production while keeping the rest of the passing game balanced, and the conversation has quickly turned to a group built around speed and versatility rather than a straightforward one-for-one answer.
Calvin Austin III has emerged as a name to watch in that mix, while Darnell Mooney gives the offense a different kind of stress test for defenses because of his ability to threaten vertically. For the Giants, the challenge is finding a combination that keeps the formation functional and the coverage guessing, and that decision could end up shaping how the offense looks well beyond camp. [Read more 🡒]