Beckham MIA again, but possibly ready for next week
The meaningful Odell Beckham Jr. absence that the Giants like to pretend is meaningless continued on Monday for a fourth consecutive voluntary OTA practice. Beckham, who attended the Giants’ first three OTAs but missed all three of last week’s, was absent again for organized team activity No. 7 on Monday. It’s not far-fetched to consider he could miss all four of this week’s optional practices given the circumstances if he remains without a new contract extension.
Head coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that “yeah, absolutely,” he expects both Beckham and defensive tackle Damon Harrison — who oddly has been in-and-out of OTAs also — at next week’s three-day mandatory minicamp.
And it’s true Beckham conceivably could show up to that minicamp even as he continues to lobby for a new contract. Last season, he skipped all 10 OTA practices to make a statement that he wanted negotiations to begin but still reported to mandatory minicamp and training camp.
This June, though, is different because it’s one year later, with Beckham coming off left ankle surgery, and also because of how close Beckham appears to being cleared to participate in full practices. He is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal.
So far, the Giants have had Beckham do individual drills when he’s shown up to OTAs, but they have held him out of team drills saying he’s close but not quite cleared to practice. Watching Beckham live, though, it’s hard to believe that he wouldn’t be able to go physically the next time he’s here.
“Yeah, possibly,” Shurmur said when asked if Beckham could be cleared in time for next week’s minicamp. “We will have to see when we cross that bridge.”
In March, after the Giants began discussing a trade of Beckham to the Rams, NFL Network reported that Beckham did not intend to step on a football field without a new contract. So once Beckham is cleared medically, there is no telling if he intends to practice without the contract extension he covets.
The Giants, on the other hand, appear to be waiting to see if Beckham is truly healthy and fully recovered — and drama free — before paying him. So the Giants’ and Beckham’s timelines don’t seem to match up, and nor do their ideas of what a new contract would pay him.
“He just has to get out there,” Shurmur said when asked what Beckham has to do to prove he’s healthy. “Obviously we will visit on how he is doing. And again, we talk frequently. We’ll visit how he is doing and put him out there and give him a little bit more as we go.”
Beckham has been almost silent even on social media lately, but he did post a black-and-white picture Sunday of himself and rookie back Saquon Barkley on Instagram with the caption, “If i call u my brother…” And Barkley responded: “Then you my brother.”
OTA PRACTICE NOTES
Jon Halapio took a majority of the first-team snaps at center on Monday ahead of last year’s primary starter, Brett Jones. The first-string offensive line from left to right was
Nate Solder, rookie Will Hernandez, Halapio, Patrick Omameh and Ereck Flowers … Hernandez’s start at left guard, ahead of John Greco, was an example of Shurmur deciding to give the rookies more action Monday than he had previously during these OTAs.
“I just felt like it was time to get a real good look at what we have with some of the younger players … We’re seeing a lot good things from our front line guys, but we felt like today was a good day to see what some of the younger, fresher-legged guys could do.” … Linebacker B.J. Goodson nearly intercepted Eli Manning on a pass intended for Barkley . ... Davis Webb hit Travis Rudolph for a red-zone touchdown. The Giants signed former Northwestern TE Garrett Dickerson (Bergen Catholic) and waived wideout Keeon Johnson and defensive backs Jeremiah McKinnon and Mike Jones.