John Harbaugh on Odell Beckham Jr.: 'He has done enough to make an NFL roster'

All but four NFL teams entered Saturday having played their final preseason game, which means 28 franchises are already focused on roster cuts.

While teams in the preseason can carry upwards of 90 players, they will have to trim down to a 53-man regular season roster by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Franchises will then begin signing players to their practice squads for the start of the year.

Veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returned home this offseason, signing a one-year deal with the New York Giants under new head coach John Harbaugh.

Beckham, 33, hasn’t taken the field during a regular-season game since 2024, when he was with the Miami Dolphins. This could be his last chance to see more game action, but the hurdle in front of him is cracking the Giants’ 53-man roster.

The good news for the wide receiver is that he seems to have at least won over one person in the building. Harbaugh spoke about what the veteran wideout has been able to do during the preseason.

“He has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure. He’s played well. He’s gotten better as camp’s gone along. He deserves credit for that. He’s done a really good job with it.”

“He has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure. He’s played well. He’s gotten better as camp’s gone along. He deserves credit for that. He’s done a really good job with it.”

We won’t know how true these words ring and if they apply to New York until the roster is fully cut down, but it at least sounds like Harbaugh supports Beckham getting a shot somewhere this season.

Over the course of three preseason games, Beckham had 13 targets, 7 receptions, and 76 yards.

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Seven wide receivers logged at least seven games for the Giants last season. This doesn’t count star Malik Nabers, who played only four games before tearing his ACL, ending his season.

New York will likely carry six to seven receivers into the regular season. The problem for Beckham is that he likely wouldn’t factor into special teams, an added trait that roster-bubble players could have that would give them an edge.

The Giants had 11 wide receivers rostered during the preseason. Nabers and 2026 third-round pick Malachi Fields are considered locks to make the roster.

New York’s remaining four to five spots will be divided up between some combination of Beckham, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, Isaiah Hodgins, Xavier Gipson, Kobe Prentice, Braxton Berrios and Dalen Cambre.

Beckham is heading into his 11th career season. He missed the 2022 season due to a torn ACL.

During his first stint with the Giants, the wide receiver played in 59 games and tallied 5,476 yards with 44 touchdowns. He also came down with one of the greatest receptions in football history.

In 2024, with the Dolphins, Beckham saw action in only nine games. He had 18 targets, 9 receptions, and 55 yards with no touchdowns.

Beckham was asked what it would mean to him if he made New York’s regular-season roster.

“It would mean everything to me if I made it.

I feel like I gave everything I’ve had. Super grateful for the opportunity. At this point, it’s in God’s hands.

I know that I have a good feeling about myself. I feel like there is ball to be played, plays to be made. Right now, I’m just truly grateful for that opportunity and experience. It was a tough couple years, taking a step back and deciding whether to move forward with life. Are you done? The mental battles that we go through and just push through, persevere and overcome adversity, like I said, I’m truly grateful.”

“It would mean everything to me if I made it.

I feel like I gave everything I’ve had. Super grateful for the opportunity. At this point, it’s in God’s hands.

I know that I have a good feeling about myself. I feel like there is ball to be played, plays to be made. Right now, I’m just truly grateful for that opportunity and experience. It was a tough couple years, taking a step back and deciding whether to move forward with life. Are you done? The mental battles that we go through and just push through, persevere and overcome adversity, like I said, I’m truly grateful.”