Odell Beckham Jr. made the Giants and his old No. 13 might soon be available.
Beckham survived the cut down to 53 players and so now his comeback story reaches Phase II, after he showed enough during the preseason to claim one of the backup jobs with the team where he rose to stardom in 2014.
The question now is whether Beckham – who will have to give up No. 3 to pass-rusher Abdul Carter – will be back in the blue and white No. 13 that once was the hottest-selling jersey in the NFL.
Jalin Hyatt wore the jersey from 2023 through this preseason, but he spent most of the summer on the sideline rehabbing a foot injury and is a longshot to be on the roster.
The sure-handed Beckham’s 33-year-old body, which has been through the ringer during his career, held up through the grind of training camp. He missed all last season and seemed to return with more juice to gain separation than he had when he was limited to nine catches for the 2024 Dolphins.
Sunday was the first cut day when Beckham had reason to be nervous. And it was a tough spot for the Giants, who were hesitant about signing Beckham to a minimum contract in May because of the potential optics involved with a bittersweet cut of the franchise icon.
Beckham’s odds of making the roster increased in an unfortunate way when Calvin Austin III suffered a season-ending torn ACL. The Giants’ displeasure with longtime starter Darius Slayton opened another pathway.
Head coach John Harbaugh all but announced Beckham’s spot on the team after he played 33 snaps in the preseason finale against the Jets. But he left something open to semantics.
“I think he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure,” Harbaugh said. “He’s played well, and he’s gotten better as his camp has gone along. He deserves credit for that. He’s done a really good job with it.”
How much does Beckham have left to contribute on regular-season gamedays? He isn’t satisfied just making the team even if he knows he is no longer the 1,000-yard weapon that he was when he left town in 2019.
“I know there’s plays to be made,” Beckham said after the preseason finale.
