Evan Barnes: Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. deserves a big hand for what he's done in return to NY
Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. warms up before a game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Friday. Credit: Ed Murray
The moment was right there for Odell Beckham Jr. He beat the Jets’ secondary during Friday night’s preseason finale and was streaking wide open down the field.
Jameis Winston saw him and launched the ball, but it was a bit too far. Beckham dived for it but had it go off his fingertips.
For a minute, it looked as if the old Beckham was back to thrill MetLife Stadium. Maybe not, but the wide receiver’s strong game validated the praise he had gotten from coach John Harbaugh.
“I would say his best week of camp has come this week,” Harbaugh had said.
Beckham’s three catches for 53 yards on six targets in the Giants’ 23-6 win over the Jets validated why he should make the final roster by Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline to trim teams to 53 players.
Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. makes a catch while warming up before a preseason football game against the Jets on Friday at MetLife Stadium. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
His chances improved after Calvin Austin III’s season-ending ACL injury on Tuesday. Austin’s unfortunate setback meant another receiver had to step forward. Instead of more pressure on Beckham, there was slightly less because he should be the sixth receiver.
“It would mean everything. It would be my dream,” he said on the WNBC broadcast. “This is where I started. There’s no place I wanna give my whole heart to more than anything else in the world. It’s this place right here.”
Said Harbaugh, “I don’t want to like say exactly who’s making it right now and not, what the considerations are. And things can happen. But I think I would answer the question yes. I mean, I think he has done enough to make an NFL roster for sure. He’s played well and he’s gotten better as his camp’s gone along. He deserves credit for that. He’s done a really good job with it.’’
“It’s great to hear. It’s in God’s hands,” Beckham said. “Just simply focusing on having the opportunity. It means a lot to me. I tried and I gave my best. Feels great to be back in that stadium. It’s just so many good times, hard times that made me a man, and I’m pleased with what I did. But always looking for more.”
Beckham didn’t need to be No. 13 of the past in his second game back at MetLife Stadium. He just needed a moment to match the excitement fans have for this comeback.
It almost happened by a few inches. Despite the missed chance, there are more than enough reasons to appreciate this journey, which probably is unlike any Beckham has had in years.
Maybe not since before high school has he entered a training camp without a guaranteed spot on a team. He has carried himself not like an ex-star but a veteran with something to prove.
“There’s only one ball and there’s a bunch of playmakers on this offensive side,” Beckham said Aug. 5. “There are guys everywhere, so the ball’s going to get shared. It’s just like, do your job whenever you get the chance.”
He did his part, letting his play talk, meeting some expectations and exceeding some as well.
For one, he made it through training camp healthy and didn’t miss one of Harbaugh’s 21 practices. That was something he struggled to do in his younger Giants days; minor injuries often flared up in camp. It’s even more admirable that someone who hadn’t played in a year made it through Camp Harbaugh, one of the NFL’s toughest training camps. That deserves kudos.
He has shown he can get open and make plays in practice and in games. It backs up the data the Giants saw during his spring workouts. He even showed a flash of that shiftiness last week with his catch-and-juke to elude two Dolphins defenders.
“You want to look to the catches you guys see in practice,” assistant general manager Brandon Brown said. “But he still has enough separation and route nuance and knows how to tempo in and out of his speeds to create leverage against the corners. I just think there’s juice in his legs. I know he’s looking forward to building on it.”
Before Friday, Beckham caught four passes in two preseason games. A possible touchdown catch went through his fingers against Miami last week. It’s a play the old Odell likely would’ve made but instead, he reacted with disbelief.
The same thing happened Friday. So close to exciting MetLife Stadium one more time. But that missed catch didn’t reflect a roster spot slipping away nor did his missed touchdown reception against the Dolphins.
“We all know nine out of 10 times he’s going to catch that,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Tuesday. “But I like where he’s at. The biggest thing with him, though, is just being able to really stay focused and locked in on the details of the specifics.”
That sounds like a receiver the Giants want to keep around. We’ll know for sure Sunday, but Friday didn’t seem like Beckham’s last dance at MetLife Stadium.
If that’s the case, he deserves respect for earning a spot without much flash but with much grit. Here’s hoping Friday was not the last time fans can anticipate another Beckham moment.
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.
