The frustrating wait to see Odell Beckham Jr. play in a game looks like it will continue.
The talented rookie has yet to see action in a game, and he will have to wait until at least next week to see any. The former LSU standout recently made his return to practice, and he was impressing coaches on Monday. Beckham would seem to get hurt on a play, but it went rather unbeknownst to Tom Coughlin. Coughlin said he, “didn’t even realize,” Beckham was hurt. However, after Beckham woke up sore on Tuesday, the Giants have decided to hold him out of Friday’s game. “They (trainers) don’t feel like it’s a re-injury,” Coughlin said. “But they’re going to continue to be cautious if that’s what it takes.”
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The cautious approach is the smart approach for Big Blue. The Giants have had a history of rushing back players before they were healthy, and it’s caused those players to have forgettable seasons. Although every Giants fan would love to see what Beckham to do, there’s no immediate need to rush the rookie.
However, with another missed game, Beckham is losing more opportunities to develop chemistry and trust with Eli Manning. With Manning, timing and chemistry is everything. Last year we saw Manning’s lack of chemistry with Rueben Randle get exposed more than once, with the two clearly not being on the same page. The only good news is that Beckham now has more time to get into the playbook, which can be a difficult task for rookie wide receivers.
Beckham has a chance to be a contributor when he’s healthy, and he can make the passing attack a lot more lethal. Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle are entrenched as the starting two wide receivers, and un drafted rookie Corey Washington is turning heads this preseason, and the Giants would be wise to implement the 6 foot 4 wide out. The group of Cruz, Randle, Washington and Beckham could pose a lot of threats for defenses.
Of course, Beckham will have to actually play in a game for him to contribute to the offense.