Odell Beckham Jr. came back to New York with no promises attached, and now the Giants are already leaning on him in a much bigger way than expected.
When the team brought Beckham in this offseason, the message was obvious: nothing was handed to him. He had to earn a roster spot, and he did just that by making the final 53.
The idea, though, was that he would serve more as a steady veteran voice than a major weekly piece. That picture has changed fast.
Heading into the Week 1 opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Beckham is now the clear fourth receiver on the roster, which puts him in line for meaningful snaps right out of the gate.
That shift matters even more because the Giants’ receiver group is thinner than it first looked. After New York released Darius Slayton, only four wideouts remained on the active roster. And even that number comes with uncertainty attached.
Malik Nabers is still not fully settled for Week 1. He has made progress in practice after dealing with the ACL injury that ended his 2025 season, but he still has not said he is ready to play.
Nabers put it plainly this week: "I've been wanting to play for so long now, but at the end of the day, I can't put my career at risk. I've got to take that into account."
If Nabers sits, the Giants would be left with Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, and Beckham Jr. as their only receivers on the active roster. Even if Nabers is available in a limited role, those three should all see enough work to matter.
Braxton Berrios is still on the practice squad, but the expectation is that he’ll be part of the Week 1 roster mostly as a punt returner.
That puts Beckham in position to be more than just a familiar name on the sideline. The 33-year-old has a history of making noise against Dallas, including what is still arguably the most famous catch of the last 15 years against the Cowboys.
New York does not need him to recreate that moment on Sunday night. What it does need is dependable production from a player who suddenly becomes hard to avoid in the game plan.
If Beckham can give the Giants even five catches at home against Dallas, that should be enough to satisfy plenty of fans in New York.
In Other News...
Former Giants RB At Center Of Sickening Off-Field Case
LeShon Johnson, a former NFL running back, has been sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine after being convicted on six felony counts tied to an illegal dogfighting operation. The case has drawn attention not just because of Johnsons football past, but because of the scale of the cruelty investigators uncovered in a federal case that exposed the possession, sale and trafficking of animals used for fighting.
Johnson surrendered 190 dogs after his arrest, the largest number ever seized from one person in a federal dogfighting case. It is a grim reminder of how far removed some post-NFL stories can be from the game itself, and why cases like this continue to land hard for anyone who remembers him as a player long before the courtroom details came into view. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Put Immediate Pressure On Isaiah Likely In Jaxson Dart Debut
The Giants spent the offseason trying to give Jaxson Dart a reliable option in the passing game, and Isaiah Likely arrives with both a fresh contract and a clear opportunity. Signed to a three-year, $40 million deal after his run with the Ravens, Likely steps into a receiver room that has been thinned by recent releases and injuries, which only increases the value of a player who can help in multiple spots.
Likely is expected to be more than a traditional tight end in Week 1, working as a primary target at tight end and in the slot as the Giants ease Dart into his first start. His versatility and familiarity with coach John Harbaugh's system give the staff a level of comfort, and with the offense looking for dependable answers right away, his role could become one of the more important storylines as the opener unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Need Theo Johnson For More Than They Planned
The Giants are heading into Week 1 with more questions than they probably wanted at receiver, especially with Malik Nabers' availability up in the air and Darius Slayton now out of the picture. That combination leaves the passing game looking thinner than expected against Dallas, which naturally pushes more responsibility toward the tight ends and, in particular, Theo Johnson.
Johnson already gave the Giants a real red-zone presence last season, when he led the team in receiving touchdowns, and now the assignment figures to stretch beyond just finishing drives. If the wideout room stays unsettled, his role in the passing game could grow quickly, giving the Giants another option to lean on while they sort out how much of their offense is actually intact for opening day. [Read more 🡒]