Odell Beckham Jr. is officially back with the New York Giants, a journey culminating in his emotional return to the franchise where his NFL career began. The wide receiver learned he had made the team's 53-man roster from coach John Harbaugh, an announcement that brought him to tears of joy.
"Figuring out [that] I’m going to be here and I have an opportunity to rewrite some of the last bit of the chapter," Beckham said after practice Monday. "Don’t know [if it’s my] last year, whatever it is, I just know I’m going to give my all. But definitely had that moment where it was like you could let out some of the pain that I feel like I went through. It was just very healing, very emotional, something I was very happy about."
Beckham, now 33, successfully completed training camp and demonstrated enough on-field burst to secure a depth role in the Giants' receiving corps. His addition was aided by an injury to teammate Calvin Austin III, who tore his ACL. However, the team emphasized that Beckham earned his spot through his performance and leadership, not solely due to opportunity or past accolades.
"I earned the right to be here, this wasn’t given to me," Beckham stated. "I was given the opportunity, but I wasn’t given making it here where I’m at. I’m truly happy about it."
Coach Harbaugh noted that Beckham's performance had intensified in the final two weeks of training camp. "There’s nobody in that locker room, I believe, or anywhere in the building that questions Odell’s earning this," Harbaugh said. "It’s clear-cut. … The odds were probably against him, I would say. He overcame the odds and did it."
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who grew up watching Beckham and credits him for inspiring his own football fandom, described the experience of being teammates as surreal. "They didn’t make it easy for him," Nabers said. "He earned everything he got. He put great film on tape. I’m sure everybody’s seen. He was a great leader. So, good things get rewarded to good people, for sure. … Just for him being here right now, in the same room as me, it’s surreal."
While Beckham's roster spot is secured, his specific playing time and role remain to be fully defined. He is expected to rotate into different personnel groups. "He’ll be rotating in in different personnel groups, and he’ll be playing," Harbaugh confirmed.
"I feel confident in my ability, and whatever it is that I need to provide, I’m looking to do that and more," Beckham said. "I’ve never shied away from competition or anything like that. So, I feel that I can produce. I know that’s what I want to do and now it’s about putting the work in to be able to do that."
One detail still to be resolved is Beckham's jersey number. He wore No. 3 during training camp and the preseason, but that number is currently held by Abdul Carter. Players cannot wear the same number during regular-season games. Beckham expressed his desire to wear his former No. 13, stating, "I think we all know what that [number] means to me, and there definitely will be some conversations. I’ll just say we’ll see what happens. It would be an honor and a privilege to put that back on."