Odell Beckham Jr. has made the New York Giants' final 53-man roster after missing the 2025 NFL season, completing a comeback to his original professional team.
The 33-year-old All-Pro wide receiver spent the entire 2025 campaign out of football while serving a six-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. He was previously cut by the Miami Dolphins in December 2024 and remained unsigned on the free-agent market before rejoining New York.
Beckham proved his health during training camp in East Rutherford, New Jersey, following several years of injury setbacks. Those included a torn ACL suffered while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in their Super Bowl LVI championship victory.
During the preseason, Beckham recorded seven catches for 76 yards on 13 targets, despite several poorly thrown passes. He displayed quickness off the line of scrimmage and demonstrated an ability to beat defensive coverage downfield.
"I feel like I gave everything I had," Beckham previously told reporters about his hopes of making the team. "I'm just truly grateful for that opportunity, that experience. It was a tough couple years, taking a step back and deciding: 'Do you go forward with life? Are you done?' The mental battles that we go through and just push through, persevere and overcome adversity."
To finalize their roster, the Giants released veteran wide receiver Braxton Berrios and cut Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt was a third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft who won the Biletnikoff Award at Tennessee a year earlier as the country's best receiver.
Beckham began his comeback journey in the spring, participating in a workout for the Giants in April before signing with the team two months later.
Depth Chart Dynamics and Preseason Injury
His position on the depth chart was initially uncertain due to strong competition in the receiver group. Fellow LSU product Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, and Darnell Mooney were all positioned ahead of Beckham on the depth chart.
However, Beckham's odds of securing a spot were aided by a season-ending knee injury to receiver Calvin Austin.
Newly hired Giants coach John Harbaugh addressed Beckham's chances of making the roster last week, offering positive feedback on his play during camp.
"I don't want to say exactly that he's making it right now or not, what the considerations are, and things can happen," Harbaugh said last week. "But I think I would answer the question, yes, I think he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure. He's played well."
Career History and Return to New York
Beckham was originally selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Though his flashiness was not an obvious fit for then-coach Tom Coughlin's Giants, Beckham endeared himself to coaches, teammates, and fans.
His most famous highlight came during his time with the Giants in 2014, when he made an unbelievable one-handed touchdown catch while drawing a pass interference penalty against the rival Dallas Cowboys.
Beckham spent five seasons with the Giants before getting traded to Cleveland. He was later released by the Browns amid locker-room tensions before resurfacing with the Rams and helping them win Super Bowl LVI. He also spent a season in Baltimore, where he played for Harbaugh.
