Giants Must Avoid One Major Odell Beckham Jr. Mistake

Odell Beckham Jr. has looked pretty good thus far in New York Giants training camp, and he has fans imagining what could be this coming season.

But we need a proper frame of reference here.

It's training camp. It's practice. Yes, it's great that Beckham has been solid, and if he ends up having a resurgence in 2026, even better.

But we also must remember that this is a wide receiver who has not played a down of meaningful football since 2024, when he was cut by the Miami Dolphins after playing in nine games.

Beckham was once such a tremendous weapon that it may cloud the judgment of some Giants fans. He appeared to be on an all-time great trajectory in the early stages of his career before injuries — and behavioral problems — thwarted his progress.

It should be obvious to anyone that Beckham, now 33 years old, is not that guy anymore. From either a physical or a mental standpoint.

He's definitely more mature now. That's for sure. And that's to be expected now that he is a decade older. But unfortunately, the other side of his game — the physical part — is not even a shell of what it once was.

New York could definitely use some help at receiver, even if it looks like Malik Nabers is ahead of where many expected him to be going into training camp. But I'm still not so sure Beckham is the man for the job.

The Giants have five roster locks at receiver: Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III and Malachi Fields. They'll keep one, maybe two more wide outs.

Should New York keep a pair, then Beckham should find his way on to the 53-man roster. If not? Then I am holding firm that that final slot should go to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who actually played in 2025.

Smith-Schuster has remained productive throughout his NFL career and could present Jaxson Dart with a perfect, dependable weapon on short and intermediate routes.

Could Beckham do that? Maybe, but again, we haven't seen him be productive in three years when he was suiting up for John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

Harbaugh may be biased toward Beckham because of his prior experience with the three-time Pro Bowler, but he shouldn't allow that to influence his decision.

Now, if Beckham completely outplays Smith-Schuster in camp and preseason? Fair enough. But I do still worry whether or not the injury-prone veteran can sustain that over the course of a 17-game campaign.

Smith-Schuster — who is four years Beckham's junior — seems more likely to be able to withstand the rigors of a full season at this stage of their respective careers.

My overarching point? We can't be fooled by Beckham's early impression in training camp. Hopefully, Harbaugh isn't either.