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Odell Beckham Jr. is facing a new chapter in his career: John Harbaugh is confident in his ability to secure a spot on a 53-man roster.
Harbaugh’s endorsement highlights a surprising fact. For the first time since Beckham was drafted by the Giants in the first round back in 2014, he would have to compete for a place on the team if he were to rejoin New York as a free agent.
The team’s receiving corps—featuring Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, and newcomer Malachi Fields—appears to be firmly set.
“Odell aims to be a player who can make a significant impact,” Harbaugh stated.
He continued, “I firmly believe he has the talent to make an NFL team right now. But the question is, can he truly make a difference? Is this what he desires? Will his body endure as he hopes it will? These are important questions for someone at his stage in the career.”
Beckham didn’t play last season and served a six-game suspension for violating the league’s PEDs policy. He and Harbaugh have a strong relationship from their season together with the 2023 Ravens.
Harbaugh said that he and Beckham have talked three or four times in the last week.
Beckham impressed the Giants during a two-day visit (April 20-21) to the facility that included a physical and then returned to his offseason home in Arizona.
“The goal for right now is for him to train to be as great as he can be and then we’ll see where we are at that time,” Harbaugh said.
“The conversation that we had — such an honest conversation — is it has to be right for both parties.”
Beckham has had two ACL tears, an ankle fracture and a long history of soft-tissue injuries in the years since he was a phenom with the most-productive three-year start by any receiver in NFL history at that point. He has been cut twice — by the Browns in 2021 and Dolphins in 2024) — but at his own doing.
“You know Odell: He’s confident, man,” Harbaugh said. “He’s working hard and he believes in himself. We’ll play it out over the next month and into training camp to see where we’re at.”