Evan Barnes: Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. still has an uphill climb to reclaim former glory
New number. New outlook. Old, or older, Odell Beckham Jr.?
It was strange seeing Beckham wearing No. 3 at the Giants’ OTAs Wednesday instead of No. 13. But it’s strange seeing him in the first place — as if one couldn’t believe the offseason flirting between Beckham and the Giants led to them getting back together.
It’s not a Love Connection or even Love Island. It sounds like reality TV, yet Beckham didn’t sound like someone looking to be a star. Instead, he came off as a 33-year-old father who seemed grateful, instead of seeking the spotlight after not playing at all last season.
“It felt great just being back out there, being back in the building, just on this field, looking at this stadium,” Beckham said in his first comments since being signed Monday. “It’s a pretty surreal feeling. So, I know I got a lot of work to do. I know [coach John Harbaugh] and I have already talked about it, like I came here to earn anything. Everything in my life, nothing was given to me.”
If Beckham’s first stint ended like Icarus, Beckham 2.0 is like Orpheus. A second chance to reclaim a love after flying too close to the sun in his first five seasons and burning out when the Giants traded him to the Browns in March 2019.
Now they’ve given him another chance. Why now, instead of April when Beckham worked out for the Giants? Health, for one reason. Harbaugh said Beckham was in better shape than when he coached him with the Ravens in 2023.
At the same time, Harbaugh reminded that this wasn’t just a nostalgia play. Signing Beckham was about believing he’ll have an on-field impact, not just create off-field buzz.
“You can’t be just OK, you’re Odell Beckham,” Harbaugh said. “You’ve got to come out here and you have to be performing at a high level in workouts, you’ve got to be performing at a high level in practice. You got to be a guy capable, that we can see would have a chance to make a difference in NFL games.
“You have to be that kind of player. Who knows better what kind of player that is than Odell Beckham?”
So what did Beckham 2.0 look like Wednesday? He was the last receiver in line during position drills. He didn’t have many, if any, reps with the first-team offense. He caught a pass over the middle from Jameis Winston and had a deep pass thrown his way that was broken up by Deonte Banks.
Beckham also ran into linebacker Raheem Layne trying to make a catch. OTAs are usually non-contact, but Beckham laughed it off
“They hit harder than my son. My son’s been beating me up,” Beckham joked.
It’s a reminder of Beckham’s steep climb up the pecking order. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios, also signed Monday, were receivers who played last season. Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney were also free-agent signees that will have key roles in this Giants offense.
There’s also Malik Nabers as WR1. Harbaugh reassured that signing three receivers didn’t mean Nabers had a setback in his recovery from an ACL injury. But it shows what Beckham has to go through just to get reps.
Smith-Schuster and Berrios, by the way, got more first-team reps than Beckham Wednesday. Things can change by training camp in July, but Beckham’s work is cut out for him and being an older receiver doesn’t make it easy.
“He’s going to have to go out there and play at that level and do all the things we’re asking all the receivers to do in our offense,” Harbaugh said. “So does JuJu, so does Braxton, so are all the guys. You got to help us now.”
Beckham understands that. He talked up still being as fast as before and finding ways to get open. He praised Jaxson Dart’s swagger and talents. He wants to be an asset for Nabers going through rehab, but also navigating New York as a star receiver.
Beckham’s son Zydn served as extra motivation to lead by example and not be seen as someone who quit. Whether that means making the team or not isn’t the point. It’s giving it one more try to determine his fate.
“I’m going out on my sword either way it goes,” Beckham said. “If [cutting me is] what you got to do, you see I’m not the best fit, then by all means I’m good with it. I can live with it.”
So like Orpheus losing his love, Beckham has got a second chance to treasure the Giants. It could be a last chance to keep playing football, even if he’s not seeing it that way. This is, in his words, just one more opportunity to see where things go.
Sequels don’t always match originals, but they still have feel-good moments. Beckham and the Giants hope some of those moments can be squeezed out to create a better, more productive ending than the trade that separated them seven years ago.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
