Jason Leach
When the New York Giants open training camp in a few weeks, the most intriguing position battle to watch will be at wide receiver. The team has several receivers who have had success in the NFL, vying for the final spots on the team, and deciding who makes the roster will be a tough task for the coaching staff.
One player in particular who will garner a ton of attention in training camp is Odell Beckham Jr. After not playing in 2025, the Giants signed Beckham earlier this month. The 33-year-old wideout is happy to be back with the team that took him with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but knows he’s going to need to work hard in order to win a spot on the roster.
“I know I’ve got a lot of work to do. I know head coach John and I have talked about it. I came here to earn anything. Everything in my life, nothing was given to me. I came here to earn it, work hard every day, and be the best I can for the team.”
Currently, there are 14 receivers on the roster, so he’ll need to stand out this summer if he’s going to play for Big Blue. But for right now, we’ll take a look at three things that bode well for his chances of making the team.
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He has the highest ceiling of the veteran receivers the team signed
At 33 and having suffered numerous injuries, OBJ is obviously not the same player he was a decade ago. If he can be 75 or 80% of the player he once was, he has a higher ceiling than the other veteran wideouts New York recently signed, and would be a viable target for Jaxson Dart.
New York also signed veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios, and while they have had some success in the league, they’ve never come close to the heights that Beckham achieved. In fact, the 35 receptions, 565 receiving yards Beckham had in 2023 with the Ravens, are more productive than either Smith-Schuster or Berrios has had since that time.
Due to his exceptional hands, route running, and ability to make plays downfield, OBJ, without question, has the biggest upside over Berrios and Smith-Schuster.
He has John Harbaugh’s trust
Unlike every other receiver on the roster, Beckham has a history with head coach John Harbaugh, as he was part of the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and helped them advance to the AFC Championship game. After OBJ’s second workout with the team this offseason, Harbaugh obviously liked what he saw, which is why the team signed him.
It’s clear that the 63-year-old head coach still trusts and believes in OBJ in what he can bring to a team both on and off the field. When a coach has trust in a player, it cannot be overstated, especially when he’s in the first year with a new team.
When it’s time to make the final cuts, Harbaugh’s trust in OBJ will be the deciding factor in keeping him over other players such as Jalin Hyatt, with whom he doesn’t have a history.
Can be an emergency backup on special teams
Nobody expects OBJ to return punts at this stage of his career, but if an injury were to happen to the team’s returner during the course of a game, Beckham can be called upon to field a punt. More than likely, they would ask him to return the punt, but to just use his reliable hands to secure the ball and lose field position.
In addition, Beckham can be used as an emergency kicker for short-yardage field goals if New York’s place kicker suffers an injury. He’s never attempted a kick in an NFL game, but he has attempted kicks in practices and pregame warmups before.
As far-fetched as it may seem to keep a receiver on a roster in the event that an injury happens to a kicker, this additional skill set OBJ brings could be a deciding factor between him and another evenly matched wideout. A good coach is prepared for any situation that arises, and being that Beckham can participate in special teams is a good insurance policy to have on the roster.
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